Miracles, lessons, and gifts can be found in all sorts of places. --Christine Miller
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Back Home Again!
Well, Tiff and I made it home from our trip last night. Steven picked us up at the airport when we flew in at 7:30 p.m. We left Washington at 2:00 p.m. Earlier in the day we had had time for breakfast at the hotel and then another walk into Old Town. We decided that every time we went into town we would see something new, or different I should say, because everything is old. It was a lot of fun. Back at the hotel, we took the shuttle at 11:45 a.m. to the airport. That gave us enough time for some lunch at Panda Express before catching our flight to Denver at 2:00. In Denver we had a two-hour layover, then it was on to Salt Lake City and home. Thanks to Steven and Rich for taking care of things here at home while we were away. It was one of the funnest trips ever!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Still Having Fun!
We have had so much fun and have seen so many things in the last few days! On Saturday, Sept. 6, we woke up to rain as Tropical Storm Hanna was getting set to pass over. After breakfast, we decided that the rain didn't seem that bad, so we set off on foot for Old Town Alexandria to visit Christ Church and the Gadsby's Tavern Museum and maybe to visit some shops. Well, we were doing all right for awhile, then the wind started kicking up and the rain started coming in buckets. We ran to get inside Christ Church, but they were having a service and we couldn't go in. So we ran about two blocks through the drenching rain to Gadsby's Tavern Museum. When we got there we were soaked! But even though we were dripping wet, we went on a tour of the tavern musuem. That was a good place to get out of the rain. We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about colonial life in Alexandria. When the tour was over we looked around the gift shop for awhile, then headed out into the rain again. It was still pouring. We made it into a covered area called Gadsby's Arcade and decided at that point we better call for the hotel shuttle to come rescue us, which it did. I saw the shuttle coming and decided to step out onto the sidewalk so that the driver could see us, but I missed the last step going down and I flew off the step and landed on my knees on the sidewalk, taking out my umbrella beneath me! What a tumble! And I got even wetter. But thank goodness for the shuttle which took us back to the hotel! Once we got there we got out of our sopping wet clothes and into some dry ones. I didn't think my shoes would ever dry out. So while it kept pouring outside, we just holed up in our nice room to watch National Treasure II and eat some good things from the "snack room" for lunch. That was handy! (It was fun to watch National Treasure II after going on the tour at Mount Vernon.) It continued to pour all afternoon, and we wondered if we were going to be able to make our dinner appointment with Tiff's classmates, Angie (not Mississippi Angie) and Kristin, at 5:30. Well, at about 5:15, it actually stopped raining. We were expecting to take the hotel shuttle to the metro station, but no shuttle was available, so the hotel called us a cab and reimbursed us for the fare. So we took a taxi to the metro where we met up with Angie who was coming all the way from her home in Maryland (she had been riding for an hour and a half). We then rode with her on the metro to the King Street station and caught the free trolley into Old Town. Once we got there, we went to the Warehouse Grill where I thought it would be fun to eat. I remembered eating there in the old days when I worked in Washington. Well, we went inside and it looked nothing like the Warehouse Grill that I remembered. The only thing that was the same was the name. Actually, it's a nicer, fancier restaurant now. We were seated at a table upstairs by a window looking out over Old Town. Kristin came and joined us about 6:15. She had been moving into a new apartment and painting a house for Habitat for Humanity all day. She and Angie had both gone way out of their way to meet us for dinner. They seemed genuinely happy to see Tiffany, and the three of them had fun catching up on the news and each other's internships. For dinner Tiff, Angie and I had some delicious Asian veggies with lo mein noodles. It was very tasty and different from the rich, colonial fare we had been having. Kristin had some yummy-looking salmon which she said was really good. So we had a very pleasant evening with them and then we all went out separate ways. Angie and Kristin both had to catch the metro back to their homes, and Tiff and I walked back to the hotel. It turned out to be a very fun day, storm and all! (King Street in Old Town was lined with sand bags and the lower part of the street by the river was all blocked off, so I guess things had gotten pretty wet there earlier in the day.)
On Sunday, Sept. 7, we decided it would be kind of hard to work things out logistically to get to the 8:00 sacrament meeting in the ward that meets up on King Street. Plus, I was pretty sore from my tumble the day before and was not moving very fast. So we got up and had breakfast, then took the shuttle to the metro and went to Arlington National cemetery. We decided that would be a pretty good Sunday activity. When we got there we walked through the cemetery and up, up, up the hill to the Arlington House where Robert E. Lee lived with his wife and family. (The house was actually given to them by her parents.) Tiff really wanted to go there. Richard and I had gone there when we visited several years ago, and it was very interesting. The problem with the house right now is that it's undergoing restoration and all the furniture has been removed. But we were still able to walk through. It was good for Tiff to see some real restoration work in progress. It's a very imposing house which sits up on a hill and has a magnificent view of D.C. During the Civil War when the Union took over Arlington House, they decided to get their revenge on Robert E. Lee by burying Union troops in his front yard and garden. That way the Lees would never be able to live in the house again, which turned out to be the case. Robert E. Lee never went back there. On the way to the house, Tiff and I went past the grave of John F. Kennedy; then after touring the house, we went and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We had a great visit to Arlington. From there, we walked and walked and walked down through the cemetery and across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial. Tiffany was very excited about being there. Near the memorial, we stopped at a refreshment gazebo and had a bite of lunch and then went on to the the three war memorials: Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II. That was some more walking. Then we walked to the Washington Monument, then to the Air and Space Museum for a quick look-see there. By that time we were hot, tired and worn out. We caught the metro at L'Enfant Plaza back to Braddock Street station and called for the shuttle. No shuttle was available, so the hotel called us a cab, for which they reimbursed us again after we got back to the hotel. We barely had time to run in and freshen up before Rex Tomb (my friend Mary Lib's husband) came to pick us up to take us to dinner at their house in Arlington. It was fun to see Mary Lib and Rex again. It's been five years since Steven and I last visited there with them. She had invited their daughter Jessica, Jessica's husband, Steve, and their little two-year-old girl, Maren, to have dinner, as well. Mary Lib had prepared lasagna and salad for dinner, which was delicious. After dinner we took a tour of their house which had been completely re-built inside after a fire about three years ago. Their home is really lovely. Mary Lib said she wished she had put in fewer but larger bedrooms downstairs when it was rebuilt, but she didn't think about it until all the framing had been done. Maren was cute and kept us entertained until she reached her bedtime. Then we decided to call it a night and Mary Lib drove us back to our hotel. What a fun time we had with them!
Today was another exciting, fun day. We tried to get an early start by heading into Washington by 9:00. We took the metro to the archives Station, where we got out and then waited in line at the Archives to get in when it opened at 10:00. Inside, we got to see the actual Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We also saw a movie about all the things the Archives does to preserve the history of our country and how we can use that to help make a better future. Hooray for history and historical preservation! After the Archives we walked a short distance to Ford's Theatre, which is undergoing restoration so we couldn't go inside. But it was fun to be there. We were able to go inside the Petersen House, which is across the street from the theatre, and we saw the room where Pres. Lincoln died. It seemed quite different there in that part of town from when Richard and I were there a few years ago. At that time it seemed to be on the outer reaches of everything and there didn't seem to be much there except Ford's Theatre. But now it's quite happening. There's a Hard Rock Cafe next door to the theatre, so we had lunch there. That was a lot of fun. Then we walked over to the Old Post Office tower and pavillion. We went up in the tower where we had a good view of Washington. It was funny but things didn't seem as happening there at the Old Post Office as they had been when Rich and I were there. A park ranger took us on a tour which was really interesting. Now no one takes you on a tour. A kid sitting down by the elevator reading a book told us to press the elevator button to go up to the tower. We couldn't even understand what he was saying at first. Then, once we got up into the tower, we saw a park ranger, but he didn't say a word. He just stood there watching the people up and look around. Tiff decided that would not be a ranger job that she would want. Borrrrrrrrring. From the Post Office, we caught the Federal Triangle Metro back to Alexandria. We got to the King Street station just in time to catch a bus that took us up King Street to Janney's Lane to Clover Way where we got off and walked a short distance up the hill to Crown View Drive--my old street!--where we saw my old house and the Ford's house which now has a nice plaque on it designating it was a National Historic Landmark. Finally! After taking some pictures we walked back down the hill and caught the bus which took us to King Street station where we caught the free trolley to Old Town. When we got there, we took a tour of the old Apothacary shop which was really interesting. The tour guide told us that the business had been in continuous use from colonial times until 1934. When it closed, they shut the door and left everything inside. So when the shop was rescued and restored by the City of Alexandria, everything was pretty much original in there from the late 1700's. It was a treasure trove of antiquity. Tiff said she really wouldn't like being responsible for the huge collection of old medicinal ingredients, some of which can blow up or kill you as she learned in her collections care class at school last year. One neat thing in the shop was a note from Martha Washington requesting that some castor oil be picked up and brought to her at Mount Vernon. The note was dated just a few weeks before her death. Cool. We have seen some pretty great historical buildings, documents and collections on this trip. I think it's a perfect kind of graduation present for Tiffany now that she has completed her course work for her masters in Historical Administration. She has been able to see the application of what she has been learning about plus have a lot of fun besides. After going in some shops there in Old Town, we walked back to the hotel where we watched some TV and had more snacks from the snack room since we weren't all that hungry after our pretty big lunch at Hard Rock.
On Sunday, Sept. 7, we decided it would be kind of hard to work things out logistically to get to the 8:00 sacrament meeting in the ward that meets up on King Street. Plus, I was pretty sore from my tumble the day before and was not moving very fast. So we got up and had breakfast, then took the shuttle to the metro and went to Arlington National cemetery. We decided that would be a pretty good Sunday activity. When we got there we walked through the cemetery and up, up, up the hill to the Arlington House where Robert E. Lee lived with his wife and family. (The house was actually given to them by her parents.) Tiff really wanted to go there. Richard and I had gone there when we visited several years ago, and it was very interesting. The problem with the house right now is that it's undergoing restoration and all the furniture has been removed. But we were still able to walk through. It was good for Tiff to see some real restoration work in progress. It's a very imposing house which sits up on a hill and has a magnificent view of D.C. During the Civil War when the Union took over Arlington House, they decided to get their revenge on Robert E. Lee by burying Union troops in his front yard and garden. That way the Lees would never be able to live in the house again, which turned out to be the case. Robert E. Lee never went back there. On the way to the house, Tiff and I went past the grave of John F. Kennedy; then after touring the house, we went and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We had a great visit to Arlington. From there, we walked and walked and walked down through the cemetery and across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial. Tiffany was very excited about being there. Near the memorial, we stopped at a refreshment gazebo and had a bite of lunch and then went on to the the three war memorials: Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II. That was some more walking. Then we walked to the Washington Monument, then to the Air and Space Museum for a quick look-see there. By that time we were hot, tired and worn out. We caught the metro at L'Enfant Plaza back to Braddock Street station and called for the shuttle. No shuttle was available, so the hotel called us a cab, for which they reimbursed us again after we got back to the hotel. We barely had time to run in and freshen up before Rex Tomb (my friend Mary Lib's husband) came to pick us up to take us to dinner at their house in Arlington. It was fun to see Mary Lib and Rex again. It's been five years since Steven and I last visited there with them. She had invited their daughter Jessica, Jessica's husband, Steve, and their little two-year-old girl, Maren, to have dinner, as well. Mary Lib had prepared lasagna and salad for dinner, which was delicious. After dinner we took a tour of their house which had been completely re-built inside after a fire about three years ago. Their home is really lovely. Mary Lib said she wished she had put in fewer but larger bedrooms downstairs when it was rebuilt, but she didn't think about it until all the framing had been done. Maren was cute and kept us entertained until she reached her bedtime. Then we decided to call it a night and Mary Lib drove us back to our hotel. What a fun time we had with them!
Today was another exciting, fun day. We tried to get an early start by heading into Washington by 9:00. We took the metro to the archives Station, where we got out and then waited in line at the Archives to get in when it opened at 10:00. Inside, we got to see the actual Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We also saw a movie about all the things the Archives does to preserve the history of our country and how we can use that to help make a better future. Hooray for history and historical preservation! After the Archives we walked a short distance to Ford's Theatre, which is undergoing restoration so we couldn't go inside. But it was fun to be there. We were able to go inside the Petersen House, which is across the street from the theatre, and we saw the room where Pres. Lincoln died. It seemed quite different there in that part of town from when Richard and I were there a few years ago. At that time it seemed to be on the outer reaches of everything and there didn't seem to be much there except Ford's Theatre. But now it's quite happening. There's a Hard Rock Cafe next door to the theatre, so we had lunch there. That was a lot of fun. Then we walked over to the Old Post Office tower and pavillion. We went up in the tower where we had a good view of Washington. It was funny but things didn't seem as happening there at the Old Post Office as they had been when Rich and I were there. A park ranger took us on a tour which was really interesting. Now no one takes you on a tour. A kid sitting down by the elevator reading a book told us to press the elevator button to go up to the tower. We couldn't even understand what he was saying at first. Then, once we got up into the tower, we saw a park ranger, but he didn't say a word. He just stood there watching the people up and look around. Tiff decided that would not be a ranger job that she would want. Borrrrrrrrring. From the Post Office, we caught the Federal Triangle Metro back to Alexandria. We got to the King Street station just in time to catch a bus that took us up King Street to Janney's Lane to Clover Way where we got off and walked a short distance up the hill to Crown View Drive--my old street!--where we saw my old house and the Ford's house which now has a nice plaque on it designating it was a National Historic Landmark. Finally! After taking some pictures we walked back down the hill and caught the bus which took us to King Street station where we caught the free trolley to Old Town. When we got there, we took a tour of the old Apothacary shop which was really interesting. The tour guide told us that the business had been in continuous use from colonial times until 1934. When it closed, they shut the door and left everything inside. So when the shop was rescued and restored by the City of Alexandria, everything was pretty much original in there from the late 1700's. It was a treasure trove of antiquity. Tiff said she really wouldn't like being responsible for the huge collection of old medicinal ingredients, some of which can blow up or kill you as she learned in her collections care class at school last year. One neat thing in the shop was a note from Martha Washington requesting that some castor oil be picked up and brought to her at Mount Vernon. The note was dated just a few weeks before her death. Cool. We have seen some pretty great historical buildings, documents and collections on this trip. I think it's a perfect kind of graduation present for Tiffany now that she has completed her course work for her masters in Historical Administration. She has been able to see the application of what she has been learning about plus have a lot of fun besides. After going in some shops there in Old Town, we walked back to the hotel where we watched some TV and had more snacks from the snack room since we weren't all that hungry after our pretty big lunch at Hard Rock.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Having Fun in Alexandria!
Surprise! I'm back--well, sort of--after my long vacation from blogging for the summer. We had such a busy, fun time while Sarah, Joel and Eliza were with us. We were having constant adventures it seems. Then they left, and I've still been out of the blogging habit. But I thought I'd take the time this evening and tell about the fun day Tiffany and I had at Mount Vernon today!
Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 4) we left Salt Lake and flew to Washington D.C. for a mother/daughter outing and pre-graduation (MS degree) trip. We thank Steven and Richard, who are at home holding down the fort, for making it possible for us to take some days off. Boy! Are we having fun!!!!!!! When we got to DC yesterday, the shuttle from Old Colony Inn picked us up at Reagan National Airport and drove us to the hotel. We landed at 5:00 p.m. EST. Once we checked into our hotel (my favorite place to stay in Alexandria), we set off on foot for Old Town. It took a little time to get our bearings, but pretty soon we were finding our way around. We walked past Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, George Washington's town house, Christ Church, and lots of delightfully quaint rowhouses. We walked along King Street down to the river and enjoyed the ambiance of Old Town Alexandria. We ended up at Gadsby's Tavern (where George and Martha used to dine and dance) and had dinner by candlelight, and I mean by candlelight--no other lighting. Just like back in colonial times. We ordered Martha's puff pastry and some mini crab cakes. Both were delicious, served by our waitress in colonial attire. Then it was back to the hotel to relax and enjoy some treats from the hotel "snack room." We watched John McCain's acceptance speech and thought it was actually pretty good. It was best at the end. I think Sarah Palin has livened him up a bit!
Today we spent the whole day at Mt. Vernon! Boy! Did we have fun! We actually got up early enough to have breakfast and catch the shuttle to the metro by 8:00 a.m. Breakfast here at the hotel was very good--lots of choices: grits, potatoes, scrambled eggs, western scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and--Steven's favorite: biscuits and gravy. Plus there was fresh melon and pineapple along with an assortment of pastries. We didn't eat all of that, of course, but those were our choices. After breakfast, we caught the shuttle to the Braddock Street metro station where we caught the metro for Huntington Station where we caught the bus that took us to Mount Vernon. It took us one hour and ten minutes from the hotel to Mount Vernon. We were there just after it opened at 9:00 a.m. We watched a movie about George Washington and then took a tour of the home. We enjoyed the lovely panoramic view out over the Potomac from the piazza along the back of the house. After walking around the grounds and visiting Washington's tomb, we took a 45-minute cruise along the Potomac which left from the wharf at Mt. Vernon. That was a lot of fun. Richard would have enjoyed seeing the five blackhawk helicopters which flew overhead. Back at Mt. Vernon we headed to the Mt. Vernon Inn for lunch. We had originally planned to stay until dinner time and have dinner there, but we were informed that it would be closed for a private party, so we opted for lunch there instead. First we had peanut/chestnut soup (of course!), and then Tiff had salmon corn cakes and I had rosemary chicken with peanut stuffing (gotta have your peanuts in Virginia!). It was delicious. We topped it all off by sharing some bread pudding (gotta have your bread pudding!). That was some good food! After lunch we browsed the shops for awhile, then we met the group for the 3:00 National Treasure II Tour of Mt. Vernon. We got to hear about the filming of the Mt. Vernon segment in National Treasure II and have a tour of the basement of Mt. Vernon, which is usually off-limits to the public. I told Tiff that every historical administration major should be allowed to see the basement of Mt. Vernon. It was very interesting. The tour involved quite a bit of walking out over the grounds and down along the river. A bald eagle flew overhead just as the tour was finishing! A fitting conclusion. By the end of the tour we were so tired that we took the shuttle along with our guide back up to the house. By this time we were pretty much dragging. We made it to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the Huntington metro station where we took the metro to Braddock station. The hotel shuttle came and picked us up there. Back at the hotel we collapsed on our beds. After some relaxing and TV watching we have revived a bit. Right now we're on the computers in the business center where I decided to do a little blogging after a loooooong hiatus. Tropical Storm Hanna has started to blow in and it's raining outside. I don't know how much sightseeing we'll be able to do tomorrow. It's supposed to be pretty rainy and windy, so we'll see. We're sure having a lot of fun, though!
Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 4) we left Salt Lake and flew to Washington D.C. for a mother/daughter outing and pre-graduation (MS degree) trip. We thank Steven and Richard, who are at home holding down the fort, for making it possible for us to take some days off. Boy! Are we having fun!!!!!!! When we got to DC yesterday, the shuttle from Old Colony Inn picked us up at Reagan National Airport and drove us to the hotel. We landed at 5:00 p.m. EST. Once we checked into our hotel (my favorite place to stay in Alexandria), we set off on foot for Old Town. It took a little time to get our bearings, but pretty soon we were finding our way around. We walked past Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, George Washington's town house, Christ Church, and lots of delightfully quaint rowhouses. We walked along King Street down to the river and enjoyed the ambiance of Old Town Alexandria. We ended up at Gadsby's Tavern (where George and Martha used to dine and dance) and had dinner by candlelight, and I mean by candlelight--no other lighting. Just like back in colonial times. We ordered Martha's puff pastry and some mini crab cakes. Both were delicious, served by our waitress in colonial attire. Then it was back to the hotel to relax and enjoy some treats from the hotel "snack room." We watched John McCain's acceptance speech and thought it was actually pretty good. It was best at the end. I think Sarah Palin has livened him up a bit!
Today we spent the whole day at Mt. Vernon! Boy! Did we have fun! We actually got up early enough to have breakfast and catch the shuttle to the metro by 8:00 a.m. Breakfast here at the hotel was very good--lots of choices: grits, potatoes, scrambled eggs, western scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and--Steven's favorite: biscuits and gravy. Plus there was fresh melon and pineapple along with an assortment of pastries. We didn't eat all of that, of course, but those were our choices. After breakfast, we caught the shuttle to the Braddock Street metro station where we caught the metro for Huntington Station where we caught the bus that took us to Mount Vernon. It took us one hour and ten minutes from the hotel to Mount Vernon. We were there just after it opened at 9:00 a.m. We watched a movie about George Washington and then took a tour of the home. We enjoyed the lovely panoramic view out over the Potomac from the piazza along the back of the house. After walking around the grounds and visiting Washington's tomb, we took a 45-minute cruise along the Potomac which left from the wharf at Mt. Vernon. That was a lot of fun. Richard would have enjoyed seeing the five blackhawk helicopters which flew overhead. Back at Mt. Vernon we headed to the Mt. Vernon Inn for lunch. We had originally planned to stay until dinner time and have dinner there, but we were informed that it would be closed for a private party, so we opted for lunch there instead. First we had peanut/chestnut soup (of course!), and then Tiff had salmon corn cakes and I had rosemary chicken with peanut stuffing (gotta have your peanuts in Virginia!). It was delicious. We topped it all off by sharing some bread pudding (gotta have your bread pudding!). That was some good food! After lunch we browsed the shops for awhile, then we met the group for the 3:00 National Treasure II Tour of Mt. Vernon. We got to hear about the filming of the Mt. Vernon segment in National Treasure II and have a tour of the basement of Mt. Vernon, which is usually off-limits to the public. I told Tiff that every historical administration major should be allowed to see the basement of Mt. Vernon. It was very interesting. The tour involved quite a bit of walking out over the grounds and down along the river. A bald eagle flew overhead just as the tour was finishing! A fitting conclusion. By the end of the tour we were so tired that we took the shuttle along with our guide back up to the house. By this time we were pretty much dragging. We made it to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the Huntington metro station where we took the metro to Braddock station. The hotel shuttle came and picked us up there. Back at the hotel we collapsed on our beds. After some relaxing and TV watching we have revived a bit. Right now we're on the computers in the business center where I decided to do a little blogging after a loooooong hiatus. Tropical Storm Hanna has started to blow in and it's raining outside. I don't know how much sightseeing we'll be able to do tomorrow. It's supposed to be pretty rainy and windy, so we'll see. We're sure having a lot of fun, though!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Some Highlights of the Past Month
This has been a busy past month. Lots has been happening, and I haven't taken the time to write about everything. So I thought I would just hit a few of the highlights:
On Thursday, April 17, I went to the White Willow reception center and reserved it for Tiffany and Greg's wedding luncheon there on Saturday, Oct. 18. So that's all set. Also, Karalie had her fourth and, hopefully, final chemo treatment. We're glad she's gotten along as well as she has--due mainly to her positive attitude about everything.
On Saturday, April 19, I went to lunch with Karalie at Trio in Salt Lake to celebrate her final treatment and to have some really delicious food before her taste buds disappeared again for awhile. It really was very tasty (sundried tomato flatbread, salad, and squash ravioli). I gave her some dangly "peace" sign earrings to go with her biker head wraps. Also, the 19th was the opening day of Tiff and her Classmate's Big Exhibit at EIU: "The View from Here to There: The Aesthetics of Travel in the Rural Midwest." Finally, it was done! Tiffany especially liked having Dr. Rugh come from BYU to be the opening day speaker. Greg and his mom, Pam, were able to attend the dinner that evening with Tiff along with Dr. Rugh, so that was nice. I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit when I go pick up Tiff in May.
On Tuesday, April 22, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC where Elder Gerald N. Lund was the speaker. He spoke about the "Miracle of the Book of Mormon"--how it is a miracle (1) in coming forth, (2) in consistency, (3) as a witness for Christ, and (4) in doctrine and power to change lives. He gave several examples of how the Book of Mormon is a miracle in each of those four ways. It was a great talk.
On Wednesday, April 23, I went to Lindy's to pick up Sidney for a little outing while Lindy took Riley on her fieldtrip to Thanksgiving Point. Sidney and I went to Wal Mart to get a few things. While there, Sidney told me about all the good food in there and about all the pretty clothes that Gramma should buy. She was very chatty and opinionated. After Wal Mart we went to our house to see Uncle Rico and have a few snacks. Then we went back to the Barretts where Camden had just gotten home from school and Lindy and Riley had returned from the fieldtrip which really wasn't that fun for Riley because it involved animals, which are mortifying to her. Lindy made me a tasty Thai Veggie Burger wrap which was most delicious and which I must find out how to make! That evening I had dinner with my club friends at Sandy Dallin's beautiful home in Stone Gate and we watched the movie, "The Painted Veil", which we all enjoyed. Susan Rogers had picked up some great Chinese food at Shoots. It was yummy! Everyone was there except for Johnnie Sue, who was unable to make it, so it was a lot of fun. I was collecting money for Colleen's and Karen's upcoming weddings and for a sympathy gift for Sandy whose mother-in-law had passed away, so I was busy gathering money.
On Thursday, April 24, I went to the Hobble Creek Barn Boutique in Mapleton with Lindy, Riley and Sidney (Camden was at school). As soon as we got out of the car Riley said, "I smell cow poop." Sure enough, there were cows across the street. I pointed to the cows and her little hand tightened it's grip on mine. I explained the cows were inside a fence, but she was still nervous. We had a fun time at the Boutique. We didn't have Sidney's stroller, so of course she wanted to walk around and touch everything and tell us all about it. After the Boutique we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. I knew it was a mistake as soon as they led us in to the back room. Our waitress was totally spacey and could not get one thing right. She obviously had something going on in her life that caused her mind to be someplace else, but it made for an unpleasant dining experience when you have hungry children wanting their food (and a hungry gramma and mom). We couldn't wait to get out of there. I didn't know you could have a bad eating experience at CB, but we had one!
On Friday evening, April 25, Steven and I went to watch the girls while Lindy and Nate went out to eat for Nate's birthday which was on Thursday. We had a lot of fun playing and eating lots of pretend food. Actually, Lindy had picked up some Subway sandwiches for dinner, so we had some good real food, too. Later that night, about 9:00, Sarah, Joel and Eliza arrived from South Carolina. We were glad they had had a good trip and arrived safe and sound. Eliza settled in to her bed in the study and went right to sleep. We're looking forward to a fun summer with them.
On Saturday, April 26, we celebrated Great-Grampa Taylor's 90th birthday over in Springville. It started with an Easter egg hunt out in the field at 11:30 followed by a short program and lunch. The great grandchildren all enjoyed making a haul of eggs and candy. For the program, each of Grampa T's kids (those who were there) told a memory of a time they had spent with their dad. The lunch was spearheaded by Barbara who had her special "Cafe Rio" food all spread out. It was delicious! We had a good time visiting with all the family. Riley didn't want to have anything to do with the animals, but the other kids enjoyed seeing the horse and goats.
On Sunday, April 27, I went to 8:00 sacrament meeting at the MTC and then to Relief Society with the hermanas at 10:00. Sis. Elaine Dalton, the new YW General President was the speaker. She gave a great talk! Her advice to the sister missionaries, who might be doubting their decision to go on a mission, was "Don't look back--Move forward. It was true and right when you decided to come, and it's true and right now." She told of how she likes to run with her husband. She's a better runner, but he's better on hills. One time when they were running, he was ahead of her on a hill and she called to him and said she was going back to the car. He called back, "Susan! Don't go back when you're in the middle of the hill!" She said that was good advice, and she's always remembered it. She said you need to keep going so you can see the magnificent vista from the top of the hill. It's the same with missions and with life in general.
Accompanying Sis. Dalton was her counselor in the YW General Presidency, Sis. Dibb. She's also Pres. Monson' daughter. Sis. Dalton asked Sis. Dibb to speak for a few minutes. She spoke about how we need to remember the times in our lives when we have felt the Savior's love for us and let those rememberances help us through difficult times. Then, when Sis. Dalton spoke again, she said that Pres. Monson loves the Lord enough to let his only daughter serve in the YW General Presidency. It's a very time-consuming calling, and Sis. Dalton knew that Sis. Dibb could also be very helpful to her parents at this busy time in their lives; but Pres. Monson called his daughter to serve in the YW General Presidency. Sis. Dalton went on to remind the sisters that "the Lord will assist you at times to do what seems nearly impossible."
For Sunday Dinner that night, we celebrated Nate's birthday a little late. Sarah and Joel made some delicious chicken enchiladas which everyone enjoyed. Eliza had a lot of fun playing with the cousins and getting acquainted with them.
On Monday, April 28, I went over to Lindy's to stay with Sidney while she took Riley to the doctor. It turns out that Riley has strep throat. Poor little thing. Camden said, "I don't think I gave it to her." (She was remembering the time that she turned out to be the strep carrier who had made everyone in the family sick.)
On Tuesday, April 29, I went with Sarah, Joel and Eliza up to Ikea to buy a little high chair ($24) to use while Eliza is here. That's the first time I've been to Ikea, and I enjoyed seeing all the cool stuff there. We had a tasty lunch--mac 'n' cheese for Eliza, pasta with marinara sauce for Sarah and me, and Swedish meatballs for Joel. I also got some of the meatballs to take home to Rich.
On Tuesday evening, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC. Elder W. Craig Zwick and his wife were the speakers. Sis. Zwick reminded the missionaries that "God is counting on you." Elder Zwick talked about ways we can come to know the Savior: (1) Recognize the Spirit, (2) Treasure up the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (3) Be exactly obedient, and (4) Sustain and follow the counsel of our Church leaders.
On Thursday, May 1, I went with Julie out to Thanksgiving Point for Colleen Hanks' daughter Heather's wedding reception. It was held in the Garden Room and was very nice. Earlier in the day I had picked up a gift from the Club friends for the wedding: a chrome 4-slice toaster and a bamboo pepper grinder from Bed, Bath and Beyond where the wedding couple was registered.
From Saturday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 7, was Steven's and my trip to Arizona. That was sure a fun trip. (See earlier blog.)
Sunday, May 11, was Mother's Day. I went to 8:00 Sacrament Meeting at the MTC where Steven and I both spoke. Steven told me to keep it short because the five missionaries who have been delayed going to Mexico (now District X) would all be speaking. They all gave nice short talks about what they liked best about being at the MTC and bore their testimonies. I was going to give my obedience talk, but decided to tell them about Elder Caldwell instead. He was an elder from the early days of our time at the MTC who had been delayed four weeks going into the mission. He thought he had been forgotten by everyone, even the Lord. One day when he was feeling down, he prayed that the special general authority speaker that day would shake his hand as a signal that the Lord hadn't forgotten him. Elder Caldwell was able to get a seat on the front row in the meeting. The speaker turned out to be Pres. Monson who, after concluding his talk, waved at the missionaries and then walked out the door by the podium. Elder Caldwell thought to himself that now he knew for sure that the Lord had forgotten him along with everyone else. But then, Pres. Monson came back in through the door and walked right up to Elder Caldwell and shook his hand and the hand of the missionary next to him. As he shook Elder Caldwell's hand, Pres. Monson said, "Good luck, Elder." That made Elder Caldwell know for sure that the Lord knew where he was and that everything would be all right. I told the missionaries in District X that it was the same for them. I also told about being in Holbrook the previous week and that we had attended the same ward that Pres. Taylor had left from for his mission 40 years ago, and that 40 years ago Pres. Taylor was where they are now.
We had a fun Mother's Day here with the family on Sunday evening. Joel and Sarah fixed a delicious hot chicken salad and broccoli salad for dinner, which was very tasty. Then we had key lime pie for dessert. Yummy! I got some very nice Mother's Day gifts: a cute apron from the Barrett family, a fridge magnet from Camden (which she bought with her own money), a Gerald Ford stamp folio from Richard, and a nice taupe skirt from Steven. Tiffany called to say "Happy Mother's Day," and that her card was in the mail. She wondered why it was taking so long. All in all it was a great Mother's Day; and it's been a busy, great past few weeks. Lots happening!
On Thursday, April 17, I went to the White Willow reception center and reserved it for Tiffany and Greg's wedding luncheon there on Saturday, Oct. 18. So that's all set. Also, Karalie had her fourth and, hopefully, final chemo treatment. We're glad she's gotten along as well as she has--due mainly to her positive attitude about everything.
On Saturday, April 19, I went to lunch with Karalie at Trio in Salt Lake to celebrate her final treatment and to have some really delicious food before her taste buds disappeared again for awhile. It really was very tasty (sundried tomato flatbread, salad, and squash ravioli). I gave her some dangly "peace" sign earrings to go with her biker head wraps. Also, the 19th was the opening day of Tiff and her Classmate's Big Exhibit at EIU: "The View from Here to There: The Aesthetics of Travel in the Rural Midwest." Finally, it was done! Tiffany especially liked having Dr. Rugh come from BYU to be the opening day speaker. Greg and his mom, Pam, were able to attend the dinner that evening with Tiff along with Dr. Rugh, so that was nice. I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit when I go pick up Tiff in May.
On Tuesday, April 22, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC where Elder Gerald N. Lund was the speaker. He spoke about the "Miracle of the Book of Mormon"--how it is a miracle (1) in coming forth, (2) in consistency, (3) as a witness for Christ, and (4) in doctrine and power to change lives. He gave several examples of how the Book of Mormon is a miracle in each of those four ways. It was a great talk.
On Wednesday, April 23, I went to Lindy's to pick up Sidney for a little outing while Lindy took Riley on her fieldtrip to Thanksgiving Point. Sidney and I went to Wal Mart to get a few things. While there, Sidney told me about all the good food in there and about all the pretty clothes that Gramma should buy. She was very chatty and opinionated. After Wal Mart we went to our house to see Uncle Rico and have a few snacks. Then we went back to the Barretts where Camden had just gotten home from school and Lindy and Riley had returned from the fieldtrip which really wasn't that fun for Riley because it involved animals, which are mortifying to her. Lindy made me a tasty Thai Veggie Burger wrap which was most delicious and which I must find out how to make! That evening I had dinner with my club friends at Sandy Dallin's beautiful home in Stone Gate and we watched the movie, "The Painted Veil", which we all enjoyed. Susan Rogers had picked up some great Chinese food at Shoots. It was yummy! Everyone was there except for Johnnie Sue, who was unable to make it, so it was a lot of fun. I was collecting money for Colleen's and Karen's upcoming weddings and for a sympathy gift for Sandy whose mother-in-law had passed away, so I was busy gathering money.
On Thursday, April 24, I went to the Hobble Creek Barn Boutique in Mapleton with Lindy, Riley and Sidney (Camden was at school). As soon as we got out of the car Riley said, "I smell cow poop." Sure enough, there were cows across the street. I pointed to the cows and her little hand tightened it's grip on mine. I explained the cows were inside a fence, but she was still nervous. We had a fun time at the Boutique. We didn't have Sidney's stroller, so of course she wanted to walk around and touch everything and tell us all about it. After the Boutique we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. I knew it was a mistake as soon as they led us in to the back room. Our waitress was totally spacey and could not get one thing right. She obviously had something going on in her life that caused her mind to be someplace else, but it made for an unpleasant dining experience when you have hungry children wanting their food (and a hungry gramma and mom). We couldn't wait to get out of there. I didn't know you could have a bad eating experience at CB, but we had one!
On Friday evening, April 25, Steven and I went to watch the girls while Lindy and Nate went out to eat for Nate's birthday which was on Thursday. We had a lot of fun playing and eating lots of pretend food. Actually, Lindy had picked up some Subway sandwiches for dinner, so we had some good real food, too. Later that night, about 9:00, Sarah, Joel and Eliza arrived from South Carolina. We were glad they had had a good trip and arrived safe and sound. Eliza settled in to her bed in the study and went right to sleep. We're looking forward to a fun summer with them.
On Saturday, April 26, we celebrated Great-Grampa Taylor's 90th birthday over in Springville. It started with an Easter egg hunt out in the field at 11:30 followed by a short program and lunch. The great grandchildren all enjoyed making a haul of eggs and candy. For the program, each of Grampa T's kids (those who were there) told a memory of a time they had spent with their dad. The lunch was spearheaded by Barbara who had her special "Cafe Rio" food all spread out. It was delicious! We had a good time visiting with all the family. Riley didn't want to have anything to do with the animals, but the other kids enjoyed seeing the horse and goats.
On Sunday, April 27, I went to 8:00 sacrament meeting at the MTC and then to Relief Society with the hermanas at 10:00. Sis. Elaine Dalton, the new YW General President was the speaker. She gave a great talk! Her advice to the sister missionaries, who might be doubting their decision to go on a mission, was "Don't look back--Move forward. It was true and right when you decided to come, and it's true and right now." She told of how she likes to run with her husband. She's a better runner, but he's better on hills. One time when they were running, he was ahead of her on a hill and she called to him and said she was going back to the car. He called back, "Susan! Don't go back when you're in the middle of the hill!" She said that was good advice, and she's always remembered it. She said you need to keep going so you can see the magnificent vista from the top of the hill. It's the same with missions and with life in general.
Accompanying Sis. Dalton was her counselor in the YW General Presidency, Sis. Dibb. She's also Pres. Monson' daughter. Sis. Dalton asked Sis. Dibb to speak for a few minutes. She spoke about how we need to remember the times in our lives when we have felt the Savior's love for us and let those rememberances help us through difficult times. Then, when Sis. Dalton spoke again, she said that Pres. Monson loves the Lord enough to let his only daughter serve in the YW General Presidency. It's a very time-consuming calling, and Sis. Dalton knew that Sis. Dibb could also be very helpful to her parents at this busy time in their lives; but Pres. Monson called his daughter to serve in the YW General Presidency. Sis. Dalton went on to remind the sisters that "the Lord will assist you at times to do what seems nearly impossible."
For Sunday Dinner that night, we celebrated Nate's birthday a little late. Sarah and Joel made some delicious chicken enchiladas which everyone enjoyed. Eliza had a lot of fun playing with the cousins and getting acquainted with them.
On Monday, April 28, I went over to Lindy's to stay with Sidney while she took Riley to the doctor. It turns out that Riley has strep throat. Poor little thing. Camden said, "I don't think I gave it to her." (She was remembering the time that she turned out to be the strep carrier who had made everyone in the family sick.)
On Tuesday, April 29, I went with Sarah, Joel and Eliza up to Ikea to buy a little high chair ($24) to use while Eliza is here. That's the first time I've been to Ikea, and I enjoyed seeing all the cool stuff there. We had a tasty lunch--mac 'n' cheese for Eliza, pasta with marinara sauce for Sarah and me, and Swedish meatballs for Joel. I also got some of the meatballs to take home to Rich.
On Tuesday evening, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC. Elder W. Craig Zwick and his wife were the speakers. Sis. Zwick reminded the missionaries that "God is counting on you." Elder Zwick talked about ways we can come to know the Savior: (1) Recognize the Spirit, (2) Treasure up the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (3) Be exactly obedient, and (4) Sustain and follow the counsel of our Church leaders.
On Thursday, May 1, I went with Julie out to Thanksgiving Point for Colleen Hanks' daughter Heather's wedding reception. It was held in the Garden Room and was very nice. Earlier in the day I had picked up a gift from the Club friends for the wedding: a chrome 4-slice toaster and a bamboo pepper grinder from Bed, Bath and Beyond where the wedding couple was registered.
From Saturday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 7, was Steven's and my trip to Arizona. That was sure a fun trip. (See earlier blog.)
Sunday, May 11, was Mother's Day. I went to 8:00 Sacrament Meeting at the MTC where Steven and I both spoke. Steven told me to keep it short because the five missionaries who have been delayed going to Mexico (now District X) would all be speaking. They all gave nice short talks about what they liked best about being at the MTC and bore their testimonies. I was going to give my obedience talk, but decided to tell them about Elder Caldwell instead. He was an elder from the early days of our time at the MTC who had been delayed four weeks going into the mission. He thought he had been forgotten by everyone, even the Lord. One day when he was feeling down, he prayed that the special general authority speaker that day would shake his hand as a signal that the Lord hadn't forgotten him. Elder Caldwell was able to get a seat on the front row in the meeting. The speaker turned out to be Pres. Monson who, after concluding his talk, waved at the missionaries and then walked out the door by the podium. Elder Caldwell thought to himself that now he knew for sure that the Lord had forgotten him along with everyone else. But then, Pres. Monson came back in through the door and walked right up to Elder Caldwell and shook his hand and the hand of the missionary next to him. As he shook Elder Caldwell's hand, Pres. Monson said, "Good luck, Elder." That made Elder Caldwell know for sure that the Lord knew where he was and that everything would be all right. I told the missionaries in District X that it was the same for them. I also told about being in Holbrook the previous week and that we had attended the same ward that Pres. Taylor had left from for his mission 40 years ago, and that 40 years ago Pres. Taylor was where they are now.
We had a fun Mother's Day here with the family on Sunday evening. Joel and Sarah fixed a delicious hot chicken salad and broccoli salad for dinner, which was very tasty. Then we had key lime pie for dessert. Yummy! I got some very nice Mother's Day gifts: a cute apron from the Barrett family, a fridge magnet from Camden (which she bought with her own money), a Gerald Ford stamp folio from Richard, and a nice taupe skirt from Steven. Tiffany called to say "Happy Mother's Day," and that her card was in the mail. She wondered why it was taking so long. All in all it was a great Mother's Day; and it's been a busy, great past few weeks. Lots happening!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Back from Our Trip
We returned from our trip to Arizona Wednesday night to find all well here at home. It appears that Sarah, Joel, Eliza and Richard got along fine here while we were away. We appreciate Sarah and Joel running Rich back and forth to work on Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. They all had dinner here with the Barretts on Sunday, and then they went over to the Barretts for the Cinco de Mayo on Monday. From the blog pictures, it looks like everyone had a lot of fun.
Steven and I enjoyed our session at the Mesa Temple. We were selected to be the witness couple, so that was nice. (I knew I had creaky knees, but I didn't know just how creaky until I had to keep standing up during the session. Every time I stood, my knees could be heard creaking quite loudly!) After the session, we had a good dinner in the temple cafeteria. I thought it was funny that there was a shaker of cayenne pepper along with salt and pepper on every table. At the hotel in the breakfast room were three different kinds of hot sauce on every table. Must make sure things are hot if you're in Arizona!
When we returned to the hotel, we walked around the area for awhile, then went to our room to read and relax a bit before bed. The next morning we were up and on our way by 8:00 again. That's really quite a record for us. (Too bad it was actually 9:00 Utah time, and we would lose an hour on our way home.) We enjoyed our ride home across the reservation again. From Phoenix we drove straight to Flagstaff without going by way of Holbrook, so it was a little faster on the way home. We enjoyed the Vermillion cliffs and thought we'd stop at the cafe at Cliff Dwellers for lunch. But when we got there, we decided not to stay because there were lots of other people there as well and it was really noisy because they were all drinking and having a loud old time. We had hoped to have a nice quiet lunch enjoying the beautiful scenery of the area. But since that didn't work out, we drove on up the mountain to Jacob Lake for a rest stop. When I came out of the restroom, Steven pointed at a lady sitting at the counter and said, "It looks like this is where Nedra's daughter comes when she wants to eat out." I didn't think it was Nedra Pauline because her hair and makeup weren't all fancy like they had been a few days before. But then I could see that it really was her. I told Steven I thought she could tell we were looking at her and talking about her. Anyway, we then drove down off the mountain to Kanab, ready for some good Mexican food at Nedra's Too; but it turns out that Nedra's Too is closed on Wednesday. That's why Nedra Pauline was at Jacob Lake having a bite to eat! It was her day off! (That's funny because when I worked at Jacob Lake we used to like to go to Nedra's in Fredonia to eat on our days off.) On Saturday, the lady at the tourist center had told us about another Mexican restaurant in town, Escobar's, so we decided to go there instead. Steven had some cheese enchiladas verde and I had a fish taco, which were both really tasty. I especially loved the enchiladas verde. I would go there again just to have those--plus the homemade chips and salsa. I thought the chips and salsa were so good, in fact, that I got some to take home. Yum! After Kanab we got into quite the rainy weather. The weather had been great up to that point. So it pretty much rained on us from Beaver until we got to Utah valley. We did stop in Beaver for ice cream again; at least I had ice cream--raspberry pecan, which was very delicious. How come Steven didn't have ice cream at either of our stops at the cheese factory? He said none of the flavors appealed to him. But, I'm always sure that there will be at least one flavor that appeals to me! Anyway, we had a very fun trip and enjoyed being able to spend some time together and relive a lot of old memories and make some new ones. I think of it as a tender mercy from the Lord that things could work out so that we could go away together for a few days. Thanks to everyone at home for keeping things together and taking care of everything while we were gone!
Steven and I enjoyed our session at the Mesa Temple. We were selected to be the witness couple, so that was nice. (I knew I had creaky knees, but I didn't know just how creaky until I had to keep standing up during the session. Every time I stood, my knees could be heard creaking quite loudly!) After the session, we had a good dinner in the temple cafeteria. I thought it was funny that there was a shaker of cayenne pepper along with salt and pepper on every table. At the hotel in the breakfast room were three different kinds of hot sauce on every table. Must make sure things are hot if you're in Arizona!
When we returned to the hotel, we walked around the area for awhile, then went to our room to read and relax a bit before bed. The next morning we were up and on our way by 8:00 again. That's really quite a record for us. (Too bad it was actually 9:00 Utah time, and we would lose an hour on our way home.) We enjoyed our ride home across the reservation again. From Phoenix we drove straight to Flagstaff without going by way of Holbrook, so it was a little faster on the way home. We enjoyed the Vermillion cliffs and thought we'd stop at the cafe at Cliff Dwellers for lunch. But when we got there, we decided not to stay because there were lots of other people there as well and it was really noisy because they were all drinking and having a loud old time. We had hoped to have a nice quiet lunch enjoying the beautiful scenery of the area. But since that didn't work out, we drove on up the mountain to Jacob Lake for a rest stop. When I came out of the restroom, Steven pointed at a lady sitting at the counter and said, "It looks like this is where Nedra's daughter comes when she wants to eat out." I didn't think it was Nedra Pauline because her hair and makeup weren't all fancy like they had been a few days before. But then I could see that it really was her. I told Steven I thought she could tell we were looking at her and talking about her. Anyway, we then drove down off the mountain to Kanab, ready for some good Mexican food at Nedra's Too; but it turns out that Nedra's Too is closed on Wednesday. That's why Nedra Pauline was at Jacob Lake having a bite to eat! It was her day off! (That's funny because when I worked at Jacob Lake we used to like to go to Nedra's in Fredonia to eat on our days off.) On Saturday, the lady at the tourist center had told us about another Mexican restaurant in town, Escobar's, so we decided to go there instead. Steven had some cheese enchiladas verde and I had a fish taco, which were both really tasty. I especially loved the enchiladas verde. I would go there again just to have those--plus the homemade chips and salsa. I thought the chips and salsa were so good, in fact, that I got some to take home. Yum! After Kanab we got into quite the rainy weather. The weather had been great up to that point. So it pretty much rained on us from Beaver until we got to Utah valley. We did stop in Beaver for ice cream again; at least I had ice cream--raspberry pecan, which was very delicious. How come Steven didn't have ice cream at either of our stops at the cheese factory? He said none of the flavors appealed to him. But, I'm always sure that there will be at least one flavor that appeals to me! Anyway, we had a very fun trip and enjoyed being able to spend some time together and relive a lot of old memories and make some new ones. I think of it as a tender mercy from the Lord that things could work out so that we could go away together for a few days. Thanks to everyone at home for keeping things together and taking care of everything while we were gone!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Blog Vacation/Arizona Vacation
It looks like I've been taking a vacation from my blog. Things got busy in April with everything that's been happening I just haven't had time to sit down and write about it. We're having lots of fun with Sarah, Joel and Eliza who arrived on April 25 and will be staying with us for the summer. They sure keep things lively around our house!
Grampa and I left on our trip to Arizona on Saturday, May 3. We've been having a really nice time. We left Orem about 8 a.m. which must be a record for us. We stopped at the Cheese Factory on our way south and had some ice cream, at least I did. I had chocolate peanut butter. Very tasty! Then we went on down to Kanab, arriving just in time for lunch. We ate at Nedra's Too, which is run by Nedra Pauline, the daughter of the original Nedra. The original Nedra's restaurant was in Fredonia, and it's where I used to love to eat while working at Jacob Lake. That restaurant is now closed. :( But Nedra's Too is going strong in Kanab. We had a most delicious lunch. I had a tamale and Steven had a cheese enchilada--still made from Nedra's original recipes, so everything tasted as good as in the old days. It was way fun to eat there! From Kanab we drove up the plateau to Jacob Lake. It's kind of sad up there since the fires and beetles have taken out so many of the pine trees. When we got out of the car we both commented that it didn't even smell like Jacob Lake. No pine smell. I told Steven I've never been to Jacob Lake when it didn't have that same pine-y smell. Weird. Everything about the lodge is a little disappointing to me, as well. It's just not like the old days. Frankly, I don't think it's kept up like it was back in "The Day." Too bad.
Well, from Jacob Lake we headed down off the plauteau. I relived my bike ride (on a rickety old bike) down that same road 40 years ago! Wow! I can't believe I ever did that plus, I can't believe it was that long ago! At the bottom of the plateau we headed out across the reservation. The vermillion cliffs were spectacular, as always. (This is the same trip Tiffany and I took in October '06 coming back from Mississippi, only in reverse order. But we were driving most of it at night, so I was glad to see it in the day time.) We got to Holbrook at about 5:00, AZ time. We checked in at the Holiday Inn Express and then went exploring on Route 66. We went past the TeePee Motel; and although it's fun and retro-looking, we were glad we weren't staying there. We saw a car from Illinois that was there for a retro experience, I'm sure! We then went and had a hamburger and fries at the Dairy Queen which is next door to the service station where Dad worked during the summer of 1968 prior to leaving for his mission--40 years ago! We were having a 40-year flashback! We thought the Dairy Queen should make more of its Route 66 location. After we ate we went and walked around the service station. It was closed for the day by now. Dad looked in the window and was amazed how it looked just the same as when he worked there. He wondered if his old boss, Jay Williams, still ran the station. From there we drove around Holbrook looking for things that were familiar to Dad. He was kind of sad about how the former mission home and other places looked.
The next morning we got up and went to 9:00 church at the church not too far from the hotel. It was funny--when I woke up, I thought it was 6:30. So I got up and went in to have a bath. It wasn't until after my bath that I realized I had gotten up at 5:30! I had set my watch to Arizona time, but I was sure my watch said 6:30 when I got up. Dad knew what time it was all along, but he didn't say anything. He just got up and started getting ready. So we had a nice leisurely morning and didn't even have to hurry to get ready for 9:00 church. You'd think I'd let Dad have a break from having to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, but I didn't. When we went to church it turned out to be the same ward that Dad attended when he lived there in Holbrook, but it was a different building. Right when we walked in, an older fellow came up to us and said, "You look like familiar spirits!" I think that's probably his usual greeting for visitors. But when Steven told him who he was, he found out that Steven, at least, really was a familiar spirit. The man was Jay Williams, Steven's old boss from 40 years ago! He's also the member of the stake presidency who gave Steven his stake presidency interview before Steven went to the temple in Mesa prior to leaving on his mission. So being there at church was like a step back in time for Dad. It was fast and testimony meeting, so when time came for the bearing of testimonies, Bro. Williams got up and asked Dad and me stand up. Bro. Williams said that Steven had come back to Holbrook and that his dad was the mission president there 40 years ago. He said, "If you want to know what Pres. Taylor looked like, just look at his son. He looks just like him." You could tell that Bro. Williams has many fond memories of Dad and the rest of his family. Dad also got up and bore his testimony and said how good it was to be back in Holbrook. After the meeting, the bishop's wife came up and introduced herself and said she was Cynthia Rose, an old friend of Barbara's now married to Craig Stuart (the bishop), a fellow Dad knew from high school. She wanted to know all about Barbara and the rest of the family, plus she filled Dad in on a lot of people that he used to know in Holbrook.
After Church we checked out of the hotel and headed on our way to Snowflake and Phoenix. (It turns out that Jay Williams owns the Holiday Inn Express where we stayed! He invited Dad and me to come to his house for lunch after church, but Dad told him we needed to be on our way, But thanks, anyway.) In Snowflake we drove up by the temple, which is absolutely beautiful! We parked in the parking lot and ate our lunch of bagels and cream cheese which we had gotten at breakfast at the hotel. (I told Dad that lunch turned out to be on Jay Williams, after all!)
From Snowflake we headed on to the Mesa/Phoenix area. We were driving the same route that Dad did 40 years ago when he went from Holbrook to Mesa for his temple endowment prior to going on his mission. He and Grandpa and Grandma T. left Holbrook that night about 8 or 9:00 after Dad had finished his 10-hour shift at the service station and Grandpa had taken care of his mission president duties. Grandpa drove as far as Heber, which is about 60 miles from Holbrook. Dad took over the driving in Heber while Grandpa and Grandma slept up in the front seat. Dad says he remembers driving the 60 miles from Heber to Payson and fighting to stay awake. He remembers going through Payson, but that's the last thing he remembered. The next thing he knew, he was waking up at the intersection going one way to Phoenix and the other way to Mesa--1 1/2 hours later! He said he remembers his head jerking back and waking up suddenly just as the car was approaching a stop sign. Grandpa woke up and said, "Are we here already?" Dad, still kind of dazed, asked, "Where are we?" Grandpa told him they were at the intersection to turn to Mesa. I've heard this story before and marvelled at it. But after actually being with Dad and driving down that road, I marvel even more and am grateful for the protective blessing that was with Dad and Grandpa and Grandma that night. That is one scary road down the mountain! I was a nervous wreck when we finally reached that intersection; and Dad was even awake the whole time, and it was daytime! I'm so grateful that the Lord was watching over the future missionary and the mission president and his wife so that they could complete their trip safely and go on to do their work and live their lives.
At the intersection, Dad and I turned towards Mesa and drove to Susie's house. She and Quinn were there, so we were able to visit with them for a little while. Susie has a really nice house with a pool in the back. She says she likes living there and enjoys the warm weather. After visiting for a little while, Steven gave Susie a blessing with the help of Quinn. We're hopeful she can get her iron and white blood count up so that she can have her knee replacement surgery. We had brought some family baby gifts for Kurt and Martha's new baby, Aaron; so we left those with Susie and Quinn. Kurt and Martha live just a few blocks away from Susie, but they weren't home from Church yet, so we left the gifts to be delivered later.
From Susie's we drove over to Chandler and found the Fairfield Inn where we had reservations to stay. It was a nice place in a quiet business park with other hotels around. Marie Callendar's was right there, so that's where we had dinner.
After breakfast the next morning (Monday), Steven went to his meetings and I stayed at the hotel. I enjoyed walking around the area in the nice, warm air. I watched some TV and read for awhile (my research reading for Tiff's Zion book), then went and had a late lunch at Marie Callendar's before Steven came back from his meetings. We relaxed there at the hotel for awhile, then went exploring. We wanted to find the big mall there in Chandler; but silly us, we didn't print us off a map from the computer in the hotel lobby, so we just drove around not knowing where we were going. We never did find the mall. We realized that at one point we should have turned south instead of north and we probably would have found it. But, oh well. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Red Lobster and had dinner--stuffed flounder for me, and broiled flounder for Steven. It was quite tasty! We thought maybe we should have had Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, but it would have been hard to beat the meal we had at Nedra's Too on Saturday, so we opted for seafood. We were hoping that the family at home was having fun at their Cinco de Mayo party at the Barretts.
This morning, Steven went off to his meetings again. I went walking for awhile, then came to do my blog on the hotel computer. They've got a nice setup here. Later I plan to do some more reading and TV watching. It's just kind of nice to do whatever. When Steven gets back this afternoon, we're going to the Mesa Temple to do a session. Dad hasn't been back since he went for his endowment 40 years ago, so it should be nice to go there.
Grampa and I left on our trip to Arizona on Saturday, May 3. We've been having a really nice time. We left Orem about 8 a.m. which must be a record for us. We stopped at the Cheese Factory on our way south and had some ice cream, at least I did. I had chocolate peanut butter. Very tasty! Then we went on down to Kanab, arriving just in time for lunch. We ate at Nedra's Too, which is run by Nedra Pauline, the daughter of the original Nedra. The original Nedra's restaurant was in Fredonia, and it's where I used to love to eat while working at Jacob Lake. That restaurant is now closed. :( But Nedra's Too is going strong in Kanab. We had a most delicious lunch. I had a tamale and Steven had a cheese enchilada--still made from Nedra's original recipes, so everything tasted as good as in the old days. It was way fun to eat there! From Kanab we drove up the plateau to Jacob Lake. It's kind of sad up there since the fires and beetles have taken out so many of the pine trees. When we got out of the car we both commented that it didn't even smell like Jacob Lake. No pine smell. I told Steven I've never been to Jacob Lake when it didn't have that same pine-y smell. Weird. Everything about the lodge is a little disappointing to me, as well. It's just not like the old days. Frankly, I don't think it's kept up like it was back in "The Day." Too bad.
Well, from Jacob Lake we headed down off the plauteau. I relived my bike ride (on a rickety old bike) down that same road 40 years ago! Wow! I can't believe I ever did that plus, I can't believe it was that long ago! At the bottom of the plateau we headed out across the reservation. The vermillion cliffs were spectacular, as always. (This is the same trip Tiffany and I took in October '06 coming back from Mississippi, only in reverse order. But we were driving most of it at night, so I was glad to see it in the day time.) We got to Holbrook at about 5:00, AZ time. We checked in at the Holiday Inn Express and then went exploring on Route 66. We went past the TeePee Motel; and although it's fun and retro-looking, we were glad we weren't staying there. We saw a car from Illinois that was there for a retro experience, I'm sure! We then went and had a hamburger and fries at the Dairy Queen which is next door to the service station where Dad worked during the summer of 1968 prior to leaving for his mission--40 years ago! We were having a 40-year flashback! We thought the Dairy Queen should make more of its Route 66 location. After we ate we went and walked around the service station. It was closed for the day by now. Dad looked in the window and was amazed how it looked just the same as when he worked there. He wondered if his old boss, Jay Williams, still ran the station. From there we drove around Holbrook looking for things that were familiar to Dad. He was kind of sad about how the former mission home and other places looked.
The next morning we got up and went to 9:00 church at the church not too far from the hotel. It was funny--when I woke up, I thought it was 6:30. So I got up and went in to have a bath. It wasn't until after my bath that I realized I had gotten up at 5:30! I had set my watch to Arizona time, but I was sure my watch said 6:30 when I got up. Dad knew what time it was all along, but he didn't say anything. He just got up and started getting ready. So we had a nice leisurely morning and didn't even have to hurry to get ready for 9:00 church. You'd think I'd let Dad have a break from having to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, but I didn't. When we went to church it turned out to be the same ward that Dad attended when he lived there in Holbrook, but it was a different building. Right when we walked in, an older fellow came up to us and said, "You look like familiar spirits!" I think that's probably his usual greeting for visitors. But when Steven told him who he was, he found out that Steven, at least, really was a familiar spirit. The man was Jay Williams, Steven's old boss from 40 years ago! He's also the member of the stake presidency who gave Steven his stake presidency interview before Steven went to the temple in Mesa prior to leaving on his mission. So being there at church was like a step back in time for Dad. It was fast and testimony meeting, so when time came for the bearing of testimonies, Bro. Williams got up and asked Dad and me stand up. Bro. Williams said that Steven had come back to Holbrook and that his dad was the mission president there 40 years ago. He said, "If you want to know what Pres. Taylor looked like, just look at his son. He looks just like him." You could tell that Bro. Williams has many fond memories of Dad and the rest of his family. Dad also got up and bore his testimony and said how good it was to be back in Holbrook. After the meeting, the bishop's wife came up and introduced herself and said she was Cynthia Rose, an old friend of Barbara's now married to Craig Stuart (the bishop), a fellow Dad knew from high school. She wanted to know all about Barbara and the rest of the family, plus she filled Dad in on a lot of people that he used to know in Holbrook.
After Church we checked out of the hotel and headed on our way to Snowflake and Phoenix. (It turns out that Jay Williams owns the Holiday Inn Express where we stayed! He invited Dad and me to come to his house for lunch after church, but Dad told him we needed to be on our way, But thanks, anyway.) In Snowflake we drove up by the temple, which is absolutely beautiful! We parked in the parking lot and ate our lunch of bagels and cream cheese which we had gotten at breakfast at the hotel. (I told Dad that lunch turned out to be on Jay Williams, after all!)
From Snowflake we headed on to the Mesa/Phoenix area. We were driving the same route that Dad did 40 years ago when he went from Holbrook to Mesa for his temple endowment prior to going on his mission. He and Grandpa and Grandma T. left Holbrook that night about 8 or 9:00 after Dad had finished his 10-hour shift at the service station and Grandpa had taken care of his mission president duties. Grandpa drove as far as Heber, which is about 60 miles from Holbrook. Dad took over the driving in Heber while Grandpa and Grandma slept up in the front seat. Dad says he remembers driving the 60 miles from Heber to Payson and fighting to stay awake. He remembers going through Payson, but that's the last thing he remembered. The next thing he knew, he was waking up at the intersection going one way to Phoenix and the other way to Mesa--1 1/2 hours later! He said he remembers his head jerking back and waking up suddenly just as the car was approaching a stop sign. Grandpa woke up and said, "Are we here already?" Dad, still kind of dazed, asked, "Where are we?" Grandpa told him they were at the intersection to turn to Mesa. I've heard this story before and marvelled at it. But after actually being with Dad and driving down that road, I marvel even more and am grateful for the protective blessing that was with Dad and Grandpa and Grandma that night. That is one scary road down the mountain! I was a nervous wreck when we finally reached that intersection; and Dad was even awake the whole time, and it was daytime! I'm so grateful that the Lord was watching over the future missionary and the mission president and his wife so that they could complete their trip safely and go on to do their work and live their lives.
At the intersection, Dad and I turned towards Mesa and drove to Susie's house. She and Quinn were there, so we were able to visit with them for a little while. Susie has a really nice house with a pool in the back. She says she likes living there and enjoys the warm weather. After visiting for a little while, Steven gave Susie a blessing with the help of Quinn. We're hopeful she can get her iron and white blood count up so that she can have her knee replacement surgery. We had brought some family baby gifts for Kurt and Martha's new baby, Aaron; so we left those with Susie and Quinn. Kurt and Martha live just a few blocks away from Susie, but they weren't home from Church yet, so we left the gifts to be delivered later.
From Susie's we drove over to Chandler and found the Fairfield Inn where we had reservations to stay. It was a nice place in a quiet business park with other hotels around. Marie Callendar's was right there, so that's where we had dinner.
After breakfast the next morning (Monday), Steven went to his meetings and I stayed at the hotel. I enjoyed walking around the area in the nice, warm air. I watched some TV and read for awhile (my research reading for Tiff's Zion book), then went and had a late lunch at Marie Callendar's before Steven came back from his meetings. We relaxed there at the hotel for awhile, then went exploring. We wanted to find the big mall there in Chandler; but silly us, we didn't print us off a map from the computer in the hotel lobby, so we just drove around not knowing where we were going. We never did find the mall. We realized that at one point we should have turned south instead of north and we probably would have found it. But, oh well. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Red Lobster and had dinner--stuffed flounder for me, and broiled flounder for Steven. It was quite tasty! We thought maybe we should have had Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, but it would have been hard to beat the meal we had at Nedra's Too on Saturday, so we opted for seafood. We were hoping that the family at home was having fun at their Cinco de Mayo party at the Barretts.
This morning, Steven went off to his meetings again. I went walking for awhile, then came to do my blog on the hotel computer. They've got a nice setup here. Later I plan to do some more reading and TV watching. It's just kind of nice to do whatever. When Steven gets back this afternoon, we're going to the Mesa Temple to do a session. Dad hasn't been back since he went for his endowment 40 years ago, so it should be nice to go there.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Blog Break
While everyone's been having Spring Break, I've been having "Blog Break." I can't believe it's been a whole week since I last posted something. I guess I've just been kind of busy doing whatever.
Last Friday (April 11) I took off for St. George by myself. The weather was good and it was a nice day, so I was able to cruise along quite well. I wanted to stop in Fillmore at our favorite little place for lunch; but, unfortunately, it was closed and it looked like there was some remodeling going on. I hope it was remodeling and not just tearing up. Hopefully, it will reopen before the next trip down. So, since I couldn't have a Phillmore Philly, I drove through town and had a rest stop and got snacks at the convenience store at the other end of town. That left me ready for an ice cream cone (Snickers flavor, yum) when I got to Beaver. From there I just cruised on down to St. George. I got there about 4:00. I didn't know what to expect, really, once I got there; but, actually, everything went quite well. At 5:00 I went to visit Auntie Reah at her new assisted living place. She has been there about three weeks and has a very nice setup. She was glad to see me and seemed to be doing quite well, although her short-term memory is gone and she kept repeating everything. But she seems happy. When I got back to the condo, Dick had made some tasty potato salad and a neighbor had brought over some delicious fresh-baked rolls, so that's what I had for dinner. Dick seemed okay with me just eating what I wanted, so that was a relief. That evening, Dick's friends from Sandy, Clark and Ellen Wallace, came by on their way to California. They arrived about 10 p.m. to stay over night and then be on their way by 4:00 a.m. Dick enjoyed visiting with Clark while Mom and I visited with Ellen. They're really very nice people. I don't know if their visit had something to do with it, but Dick seemed to be in a pretty good mood the whole time I was there. It was quite different without all that angry tension in the air.
I spent Saturday helping Mom with her clothes. She tried on the new things I brought down for her to see what would work and what wouldn't. Then I made several trips back and forth to the mall to find a few other things, have her try them on, take some things back, bring back some other things, etc. That took up a good part of the day. At 3:00 we went to Red Lobster for a late lunch and to use the gift card Kevin and Wendy had sent for Mom's Bday. It was a $25 card, and our lunch (w/out the tax and tip) came to $24.99. Mom had broiled trout, I had stuffed flounder and Dick had shrimp linguini (or fetucinni, I can't remember). It was all very delicious. Especially with the cheese biscuits. Yum! Mom seemed to get around quite well with her walker. It just takes her longer to go places and do things. After that, I made a couple more trips to the mall .The last trip was to take back some store slips that got into my bag by mistake, so the sales clerk gave me 15% of what I had bought earlier because I brought the slips back. I had already gotten an extra 15% off with the sale that was going on, so I got a pretty good deal. When I got back, I laundered Mom's tops and got them all freshened up. I thought Dick might be mad at me for doing so, but he wasn't. I was trying to figure out his change of attitude towards me. I decided that maybe he knew how relieved and happy I was to get them back down to St. George last December and I had said something about never bothering them again about coming up North. So maybe he no longer feels threatened by me or worried that I'm going to try to get them to move up North. Whatever the reason, he was actually quite pleasant the whole time I was there. On Saturday morning, I even made some oatmeal, which Mom wanted, while Dick was asleep, and I didn't even get in trouble for it later.
On Sunday I went to their sacrament meeting with them at 10:50. While there I saw two friends who used to come to club but don't come any more, Margie Mortenson and Lisa Day. They were both down there vacationing. After church we came back and had a little lunch (baked potatoes a la Dick) and then I took off for home. It was a nice day so it was a good trip back. I passed two accidents on the way home, however. One was a large pickup rollover and another involved several vehicles--a large pickup, a couple of cars and a motor home that was obliterated. Kind of strange to see on a good-weather day.
Soon after I arrived home, Lindy and Nate and the girls arrived bringing Sunday dinner. Lindy had prepared a delicious veggie lasagna and salad. She brought some whole wheat french bread to go along with it and lime rickey floats for dessert. It was all very tasty and we had a lot of fun. Sidney was happy and chowing down on her dinner, just like old times.
On Tuesday, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC where Bishop Richard C. Edgley and his wife spoke. Bishop Edgley gave the missionaries Six Principles of Success: (1) Remember who you are. You have been empowered and have a calling. Heavenly Father is with you. (2) Keep the message simple. Jesus is the Christ and His Gospel has been restored to the earth. (3) Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of the Lord. (4) Let the Spirit testify. (5) Keep yourself worthy. You cannot be disobedient and have the Spirit with you. (6) Remember work is the engine. He then told of an article he had recently read by Mitt Romney titled, "Swim in the Deep Water." In it Mitt told how as a young boy out on the lake with his family he would never go in the deep water because he was afraid. One day his brother took him waterskiing out into the deep water. Mitt was mad at first, but then realized it was better out in the deep water. He said, "Since then I've never done anything but swim in the 'deep water.' " Bishop Edgley said that is a good example for the missionaries to follow: "Stay in the deep water. Let that be your motto."
We enjoyed the devotional and our meeting with District B afterward--six elders and three sisters going to Chile, Chicago North, New York, Spain and Canada. They're going all over. The sisters are very sweet and nice. Sis. Leau is from New Caledonia and doesn't speak much English. She did well in the meeting with her English and Spanish. Her companion, Sis. Wiesner, is from Switzerland so the communicate in French. The other sister, Sis. Sellers, is from Arizona. They all seem to get along well.
Other than my trip and the MTC I've just kept busy going to Curves and getting things ready around here for Sarah and Joel to come. I got new bedspreads for Sarah's room and our room. They give the rooms a new an different look.
This morning I went and reserved the White Willow Reception Center for Tiffany and Greg's wedding luncheon on Saturday, October 18. It should be a nice, beautiful place for the family and friends to gather after the wedding. Tiffany likes the historical aspect of it all--"adaptive re-use" as she would say. If you're wondering how many days until the wedding, just go to Tiff's blog and the "wedding countdown" will tell you.
Last Friday (April 11) I took off for St. George by myself. The weather was good and it was a nice day, so I was able to cruise along quite well. I wanted to stop in Fillmore at our favorite little place for lunch; but, unfortunately, it was closed and it looked like there was some remodeling going on. I hope it was remodeling and not just tearing up. Hopefully, it will reopen before the next trip down. So, since I couldn't have a Phillmore Philly, I drove through town and had a rest stop and got snacks at the convenience store at the other end of town. That left me ready for an ice cream cone (Snickers flavor, yum) when I got to Beaver. From there I just cruised on down to St. George. I got there about 4:00. I didn't know what to expect, really, once I got there; but, actually, everything went quite well. At 5:00 I went to visit Auntie Reah at her new assisted living place. She has been there about three weeks and has a very nice setup. She was glad to see me and seemed to be doing quite well, although her short-term memory is gone and she kept repeating everything. But she seems happy. When I got back to the condo, Dick had made some tasty potato salad and a neighbor had brought over some delicious fresh-baked rolls, so that's what I had for dinner. Dick seemed okay with me just eating what I wanted, so that was a relief. That evening, Dick's friends from Sandy, Clark and Ellen Wallace, came by on their way to California. They arrived about 10 p.m. to stay over night and then be on their way by 4:00 a.m. Dick enjoyed visiting with Clark while Mom and I visited with Ellen. They're really very nice people. I don't know if their visit had something to do with it, but Dick seemed to be in a pretty good mood the whole time I was there. It was quite different without all that angry tension in the air.
I spent Saturday helping Mom with her clothes. She tried on the new things I brought down for her to see what would work and what wouldn't. Then I made several trips back and forth to the mall to find a few other things, have her try them on, take some things back, bring back some other things, etc. That took up a good part of the day. At 3:00 we went to Red Lobster for a late lunch and to use the gift card Kevin and Wendy had sent for Mom's Bday. It was a $25 card, and our lunch (w/out the tax and tip) came to $24.99. Mom had broiled trout, I had stuffed flounder and Dick had shrimp linguini (or fetucinni, I can't remember). It was all very delicious. Especially with the cheese biscuits. Yum! Mom seemed to get around quite well with her walker. It just takes her longer to go places and do things. After that, I made a couple more trips to the mall .The last trip was to take back some store slips that got into my bag by mistake, so the sales clerk gave me 15% of what I had bought earlier because I brought the slips back. I had already gotten an extra 15% off with the sale that was going on, so I got a pretty good deal. When I got back, I laundered Mom's tops and got them all freshened up. I thought Dick might be mad at me for doing so, but he wasn't. I was trying to figure out his change of attitude towards me. I decided that maybe he knew how relieved and happy I was to get them back down to St. George last December and I had said something about never bothering them again about coming up North. So maybe he no longer feels threatened by me or worried that I'm going to try to get them to move up North. Whatever the reason, he was actually quite pleasant the whole time I was there. On Saturday morning, I even made some oatmeal, which Mom wanted, while Dick was asleep, and I didn't even get in trouble for it later.
On Sunday I went to their sacrament meeting with them at 10:50. While there I saw two friends who used to come to club but don't come any more, Margie Mortenson and Lisa Day. They were both down there vacationing. After church we came back and had a little lunch (baked potatoes a la Dick) and then I took off for home. It was a nice day so it was a good trip back. I passed two accidents on the way home, however. One was a large pickup rollover and another involved several vehicles--a large pickup, a couple of cars and a motor home that was obliterated. Kind of strange to see on a good-weather day.
Soon after I arrived home, Lindy and Nate and the girls arrived bringing Sunday dinner. Lindy had prepared a delicious veggie lasagna and salad. She brought some whole wheat french bread to go along with it and lime rickey floats for dessert. It was all very tasty and we had a lot of fun. Sidney was happy and chowing down on her dinner, just like old times.
On Tuesday, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC where Bishop Richard C. Edgley and his wife spoke. Bishop Edgley gave the missionaries Six Principles of Success: (1) Remember who you are. You have been empowered and have a calling. Heavenly Father is with you. (2) Keep the message simple. Jesus is the Christ and His Gospel has been restored to the earth. (3) Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of the Lord. (4) Let the Spirit testify. (5) Keep yourself worthy. You cannot be disobedient and have the Spirit with you. (6) Remember work is the engine. He then told of an article he had recently read by Mitt Romney titled, "Swim in the Deep Water." In it Mitt told how as a young boy out on the lake with his family he would never go in the deep water because he was afraid. One day his brother took him waterskiing out into the deep water. Mitt was mad at first, but then realized it was better out in the deep water. He said, "Since then I've never done anything but swim in the 'deep water.' " Bishop Edgley said that is a good example for the missionaries to follow: "Stay in the deep water. Let that be your motto."
We enjoyed the devotional and our meeting with District B afterward--six elders and three sisters going to Chile, Chicago North, New York, Spain and Canada. They're going all over. The sisters are very sweet and nice. Sis. Leau is from New Caledonia and doesn't speak much English. She did well in the meeting with her English and Spanish. Her companion, Sis. Wiesner, is from Switzerland so the communicate in French. The other sister, Sis. Sellers, is from Arizona. They all seem to get along well.
Other than my trip and the MTC I've just kept busy going to Curves and getting things ready around here for Sarah and Joel to come. I got new bedspreads for Sarah's room and our room. They give the rooms a new an different look.
This morning I went and reserved the White Willow Reception Center for Tiffany and Greg's wedding luncheon on Saturday, October 18. It should be a nice, beautiful place for the family and friends to gather after the wedding. Tiffany likes the historical aspect of it all--"adaptive re-use" as she would say. If you're wondering how many days until the wedding, just go to Tiff's blog and the "wedding countdown" will tell you.
Labels:
Barretts,
Bishop Richard C. Edgley,
FT's,
MTC,
St. George,
Sunday dinner,
wedding plans
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Storm Kind of Fizzled
I'm glad that the storm that was supposed to be so bad in Illinois today didn't meet expectations. (That's what they said on weather.com.) Tiff said that a really loud thunder bolt jolted her awake this evening, but other than that the weather wasn't too bad. At least not as bad as was predicted. So that's good. I guess there was some bad weather other places but nothing like they were saying was coming. I just heard the weather man say that the snowstorm that is going to hit the Upper Midwest will more than make up for what didn't happen today. That doesn't sound too good. There's been quite the wild weather going on lately. I guess it's been flooding in Vicksburg and Natchez with all the rain they've been getting. It's funny how you don't pay much attention to weather in other parts of the country until you have some kind of connection with it. Here's hoping that Spring will find its way to our locations soon. I'm heading down to St. George tomorrow to visit Mom and Dick. I hope the weather will cooperate.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Dinnertime at the Barretts
This evening after dropping Richard off in AF and making a Wal-Mart run, I stopped by the Barretts to see how they were doing. Something sure smelled good in there! Lindy was cooking up some tortellini soup and she was nice enough to invite me to stay. (I always happen to time my visits around dinnertime. Hmmmmm.) Steven is at the MTC tonight greeting the new missionaries who just arrived today, so I was happy for a dinner invitation. While Lindy finished the soup, I went downstairs where Camden and Riley were playing Barbies. They were playing so nicely together. Sidney joined us after she had greeted Daddy Nate who had just come home. She started bringing me lots of food which is her favorite thing to do for me. Camden and Riley had quite the harmonica concert going, and Sidney wanted to join in. So it was pretty musical there for awhile. Then Nate called us up to dinner, and it was very tasty! Lindy has posted the recipe for the soup on her veggie blog, so I think I'll try it sometime. It was soooooooo good. They girls made their way through it, slowly but surely. Sidney would have none of it. Lindy said she keeps forgetting to get her some spaghettios. Nate ate his dinner quickly because he had to go off on a Church assignment. Camden said, "We wanted to play with you." And Riley said, "We'll miss you, Daddy." He assured them he'd be back in time to tuck them in to bed. After dinner the girls wanted me to see some "Dancing with the Stars" which they had TVOd (?) from the night before. They thought it was all quite wonderful, especially the little kids who dance like they were grownups. I had lots of fun there, and then I came home to get some stuff done around here. I'm making progress with my clearing out so we'll be ready for Sarah and Joel and Eliza to come in a few weeks!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Best Time to Be Alive
Tonight at the MTC, Elder Robert S. Wood told us that right now is the best time to be alive in the history of the world because we live when the fulness of the gospel is on the earth. He told of reading a book some time ago, titled The Birth of Plenty, written by a non-LDS author. This person was interested in determining when things really started to improve for people in the world, because economic and technological advancement had been so slow for a such a long period of time. The author discovered that around 1820 the pace of economic advancement picked up and there was an explosion of technology. Elder Wood thought this to be very interesting since it coincides with the year of the First Vision and the subsequent restoration of the Gospel. Before 1820 there was only miniscule progress while after 1820 the world became a more prosperous place. He had a graph that showed how most of the people who have every lived upon the earth have been born since 1820, in the dispensation of the fulness of times. He told the missionaries, "You have been held in reserve to help bring about the purpose of this whole period of time." When we met with the missionaries in the departing districts A and B (those who hadn't left yet), they seemed quite impressed to think they were living in such a great time in the history of the world and to be part of the missionary force taking the gospel to the world. Elder Wood had another graphic showing how the stakes of the Church have grown from the time of the organization of the Church until now. It was quite dramatic to see how the stakes of the Church are flooding the earth. When I did the Priesthood Leadership filmstrip back in 1972, there were about 550 stakes in the Church. I remember because the Church made a copy of the filmstrip for every stake. At the time, I thought that sounded like quite a few stakes. Now there are 2,790 stakes, as reported in this last conference. Dad and I commented how much of the growth of the Church has taken place just in the time that we've been married and in the lifetimes of our children. It's really quite amazing to be part of it and eyewitnesses to the great growth and expansion of the Church upon the earth.
We saw Cousin Jacob Rawle before the devotional this evening. He seems to be doing well. Steven and I wondered why we hadn't been seeing him at the MTC since he came in, but tonight he chased us down. We heard some missionaries running, and there was Jacob. Earlier tonight in the cafeteria we saw Jacob's cousin, Jared Rawle. His parents are Mike (Jim's brother) and Michelle Rawle. I had talked to them at Pat and Jim's when we were having lunch there after Jacob's farewell. They told me that their son, Jared, had gone into the MTC bound for Taiwan. I told them I'd keep my eyes open for him; and, sure enough, there he was in the cafeteria. We were sitting with a lot of missionaries going to Taiwan, so I wondered if he might be among them. We also saw the Romneys and Andy, who is going to Mongolia. He had just found out that he'll be leaving for Mongolia on April 23, which is earlier than he had been expecting.
We saw Cousin Jacob Rawle before the devotional this evening. He seems to be doing well. Steven and I wondered why we hadn't been seeing him at the MTC since he came in, but tonight he chased us down. We heard some missionaries running, and there was Jacob. Earlier tonight in the cafeteria we saw Jacob's cousin, Jared Rawle. His parents are Mike (Jim's brother) and Michelle Rawle. I had talked to them at Pat and Jim's when we were having lunch there after Jacob's farewell. They told me that their son, Jared, had gone into the MTC bound for Taiwan. I told them I'd keep my eyes open for him; and, sure enough, there he was in the cafeteria. We were sitting with a lot of missionaries going to Taiwan, so I wondered if he might be among them. We also saw the Romneys and Andy, who is going to Mongolia. He had just found out that he'll be leaving for Mongolia on April 23, which is earlier than he had been expecting.
Labels:
Andy Romney,
Church growth,
Cousin Jacob,
Elder Robert S. Wood,
MTC,
Romneys
Monday, April 7, 2008
Conference Bowl
I had planned to go to St. George today to be there for Grandma FT's birthday tomorrow, but the weather turned out to be stormy, so I'll wait until Friday to go down. The weather is supposed to be better by then. When I called Mom to tell her I wasn't coming, she said she'd rather be disappointed than worried about me driving down there in bad weather.
So I continued on today with my project of trying to get things cleaned out a bit and organized before Sarah, Joel and Eliza come this month to stay for the summer, followed by Tiffany next month. We should actually all be able to get along fine here together, I just need to have things somewhat more organized and cleared out than they have been. I got the kitchen counter cleared off of the things that have been on there for a few years and put out my new organizer which I've had for about three years just waiting for the right time to break it out. The counter looks much better now. Slowly but surely I'm getting stuff done. That's one reason I've been so slow posting on my blog this week.
Tonight for FHE we had our semi-annual Conference Bowl, and we did it differently this year. Steven did the questions and I got to try to answer along with Richard. It was pretty scary for me because I'm used to putting everyone else on the spot. And it is kind of funny because when you're on the receiving end of the questions, you can remember the talk but you can't quite remember who it was that gave it. I only missed two, however; I got Elder Eyring's and Elder Holland's talks mixed up. Richard got them all correct. Way to go Richard! For our treat we finished off the orange floats and then we watched the NCAA championship game. We were all hoping Memphis would win, but Kansas beat them in overtime. It's too bad because Memphis could have won in regulation time, but they missed their free throws. I bet that guy is mad at himself! As far as the family contest went: I won guessing the overall outcome and Richard won the round-by-round. We beat Dad out again.
So I continued on today with my project of trying to get things cleaned out a bit and organized before Sarah, Joel and Eliza come this month to stay for the summer, followed by Tiffany next month. We should actually all be able to get along fine here together, I just need to have things somewhat more organized and cleared out than they have been. I got the kitchen counter cleared off of the things that have been on there for a few years and put out my new organizer which I've had for about three years just waiting for the right time to break it out. The counter looks much better now. Slowly but surely I'm getting stuff done. That's one reason I've been so slow posting on my blog this week.
Tonight for FHE we had our semi-annual Conference Bowl, and we did it differently this year. Steven did the questions and I got to try to answer along with Richard. It was pretty scary for me because I'm used to putting everyone else on the spot. And it is kind of funny because when you're on the receiving end of the questions, you can remember the talk but you can't quite remember who it was that gave it. I only missed two, however; I got Elder Eyring's and Elder Holland's talks mixed up. Richard got them all correct. Way to go Richard! For our treat we finished off the orange floats and then we watched the NCAA championship game. We were all hoping Memphis would win, but Kansas beat them in overtime. It's too bad because Memphis could have won in regulation time, but they missed their free throws. I bet that guy is mad at himself! As far as the family contest went: I won guessing the overall outcome and Richard won the round-by-round. We beat Dad out again.
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Sunday, April 6, 2008
Conference Weekend
Wasn't that a great conference weekend?! We sustained our new prophet and first presidency and heard lots of wonderful talks. I kind of zoned out a bit in the afternoon session yesterday (I'll have to be sure to read those talks, especially Elder William Walker's talk), but I was more alert today. I enjoyed all the talks, especially Elder Uchtdorf's talk about "Faith of Our Fathers." "True religion should not originate from what pleases man or even what pleases our ancestors...the 'faith of our Father' is on the earth today." Elder Uchtdorf has such a commanding presence, and he did such a wonderful job in conducting the sessions and, especially, the solemn assembly. Pres. Monson gave a great talk. I liked how he said that each one of us can feel the Lord's inspiration if we live worthily. He gave us good counsel saying, "We need to show kindness and respect for all people everywhere, especially within our own families." Our homes should be places of peace and love, "where the storm stops at the door." He reminded us that "in order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties, but together we shall move forward, doing His work." In the afternoon session I especially liked Elder Neuenschwander's talk about the crowds of the world and how we can have the Savior's blessings in our lives, even as we are part of the crowd, if we seek Him out as the woman did who desired to be healed of her affliction. Elder Ballard's talk about "Mothers" was a different kind of talk for him and I thought it was especially good. He gave great counsel to mothers: (1) The joy of motherhood comes in moments. Don't rush past fleeting moments. (2) Don't overschedule yourselves of your children. Take time to listen, play together, laugh. (3) Find some time for yourself to cultivate interests. (4) Pray, study, and teach the gospel. To husbands he said: (1) Show more appreciation. (2) Have regular time together to talk about each child's needs. (3) Give your wife a day away. (4) Come home from work and take an active role with the family. And to children, he said: (1) Help your mother by picking up your toys, making the bed, doing the dishes, etc. (2) Say 'thank you' more often. (3) Put your arms around your mother and let her know you love her. To Church leaders, he said: Be watchful of the demands on mothers. I liked all the talks and look forward to reading them when they come out in the Ensign.
After the last session, the Barretts came over for Sunday dinner. We had bean soup and some wheat bread that I made with the breadmaker. It turned out kind of funny looking but actually tasted pretty good. We had fun afterward playing hide 'n' seek, etc. It's so funny to see Sidney when we play hide 'n' seek. She wants to be in on it, but it's kind of scary for her because she doesn't know what to expect. When she and Grampa found me in the closet she had just the most worried/scared look on her face as if she didn't know what they were going to find. But then she was happy when she saw that it was just Gramma in there.
After the last session, the Barretts came over for Sunday dinner. We had bean soup and some wheat bread that I made with the breadmaker. It turned out kind of funny looking but actually tasted pretty good. We had fun afterward playing hide 'n' seek, etc. It's so funny to see Sidney when we play hide 'n' seek. She wants to be in on it, but it's kind of scary for her because she doesn't know what to expect. When she and Grampa found me in the closet she had just the most worried/scared look on her face as if she didn't know what they were going to find. But then she was happy when she saw that it was just Gramma in there.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Girls Night Out
Today in general conference we got to sustain Pres. Monson, his counselors, and other general authorities in a solemn assembly. That was one of those experiences you don't get to have too often. This evening, when I went over to have "Girls Night Out" with Lindy and the girls, I asked them what their favorite part of conference was. Riley said, "The standing up and raising hands part." I think they thought that was the best because they were actually participating in the conference. I asked them if they heard about the new apostle (Elder Christofferson). They said they had. Then Camden asked, "Is he an old man?" My first response was "no, he's not an old man" (because he is near my age). But then remembering that I'm pretty old, I said, "Well, he's about the same as as Grampa and I are." Then Camden asked, "Is he 59?" She's quick. I even have to stop and try to remember my current age. I told her that actually, he's a few years older, 62 or 63 (he was a senior and a studentbody officer at BYU when I was a freshman). Another new general authority is Larry (Lawrence) Corbridge, who is my same age and grew up in the Oak Hills First Ward with me. He was called to the first quorum of the seventy.
While "The Boys" all went to general priesthood meeting, I went over to Lindy's for "Girls Night Out." We decided not to go out some place to eat since it's pretty wild out there on the Saturday night of priesthood session--lots of women and girls having their own Girls Night Out. I remember back in the day when Lindy, Sarah and Tiff were young we always had a Girls Night Out before that became the popular thing to do. There weren't so many people out having fun as there are now. (When Lindy and Sarah got to be teenagers and stopped wanting to go out for our Girls Night with Tiff and me, I felt bad. But that only lasted for a few years. As they got older, they started liking Girls Night Out again. It's a fun time to be together. We miss having Sarah and Eliza and Tiff with us, but we know they're thinking about us and we're thinking about them.) So for tonight, Lindy ordered a marguarita pizza from Pizza Factory, and I picked it up on my way over to their house. Pizza Factory was crazy when I went in there--tons of people waiting to be seated. I heard someone ask how long of a wait and they were told 35-40 minutes. I was glad that I had a pick-up order, which I was able to get quickly, and that we had decided to eat "in" at the Barretts. We had a lot of fun. The girls didn't know quite what to think about that pizza loaded with so many veggies. (I think they're getting veggied out.) They were kind of like, "Even our pizza is loaded with veggies." So they each took their un-favorite veggies off their piece of pizza and ate it. After pizza we had orange floats and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that Lindy had made. YUM! Then we had some fun before I went home to fix orange floats for Grampa and Richard.
That was a great conference session today. I especially liked Elder Rasband's talk about how our life experiences are building blocks for our testimonies. "They shall learn in their own experience who He is." And Elder Wirthlin's talk about how we should keep going even if we're tired. "The Lord giveth power to the faint." I also really liked Elder Carlos H. Amado's talk about Service. "Through serving our fellowmen we come to know the Lord."
While "The Boys" all went to general priesthood meeting, I went over to Lindy's for "Girls Night Out." We decided not to go out some place to eat since it's pretty wild out there on the Saturday night of priesthood session--lots of women and girls having their own Girls Night Out. I remember back in the day when Lindy, Sarah and Tiff were young we always had a Girls Night Out before that became the popular thing to do. There weren't so many people out having fun as there are now. (When Lindy and Sarah got to be teenagers and stopped wanting to go out for our Girls Night with Tiff and me, I felt bad. But that only lasted for a few years. As they got older, they started liking Girls Night Out again. It's a fun time to be together. We miss having Sarah and Eliza and Tiff with us, but we know they're thinking about us and we're thinking about them.) So for tonight, Lindy ordered a marguarita pizza from Pizza Factory, and I picked it up on my way over to their house. Pizza Factory was crazy when I went in there--tons of people waiting to be seated. I heard someone ask how long of a wait and they were told 35-40 minutes. I was glad that I had a pick-up order, which I was able to get quickly, and that we had decided to eat "in" at the Barretts. We had a lot of fun. The girls didn't know quite what to think about that pizza loaded with so many veggies. (I think they're getting veggied out.) They were kind of like, "Even our pizza is loaded with veggies." So they each took their un-favorite veggies off their piece of pizza and ate it. After pizza we had orange floats and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that Lindy had made. YUM! Then we had some fun before I went home to fix orange floats for Grampa and Richard.
That was a great conference session today. I especially liked Elder Rasband's talk about how our life experiences are building blocks for our testimonies. "They shall learn in their own experience who He is." And Elder Wirthlin's talk about how we should keep going even if we're tired. "The Lord giveth power to the faint." I also really liked Elder Carlos H. Amado's talk about Service. "Through serving our fellowmen we come to know the Lord."
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Some Thai Food Should Help
When I read Lindy's blog from yesterday (Wednesday) I thought, "This calls for some Thai food!" So I called her about the time Camden was coming home from school and asked if they would like to go have some Thai food. She thought that sounded like a good idea, so I went over and got there just as Camden was getting off the bus. She and Riley came running towards me with their arms outstretched calling, "Grandma! Grandma!" When Sidney saw this she also came runing with her arms out calling "Maama! Maama!" I think she thought she'd try to be like the big girls; but she actually wasn't that happy to see me, because when I tried to pick her up she just cried. She wanted to be down and running back the way she came from. But we loaded her and the other girls into the car and off we went to AF for some Thai Village food. We had "the usual," only the spring rolls were deepfried instead of fresh. We needed to be more specific, I guess. Camden and Riley wondered if the rolls would be good; but after taking a bite, they decided they were actually pretty good (as long as there was sauce to go with them). Then we had some Pad Thai noodles and mussaman curry. We found two "peanuts" (cashews) in the mussaman for Camden and one for Riley. That's their favorite thing. Too bad they don't put more "peanuts" in the mussaman. Nothing appealed to Sidney. She has a bad cough and wasn't feeling well. But she did all right. She just didn't want to eat anything. Maybe she needs more spaghettios in her diet. Just a thought. After lunch we headed back home so Riley and Sidney could have their naps. All in all it was a fun little outing.
The speakers on Tuesday night at the MTC were Elder Marcus B. Nash and his wife, Shelley. They're here for conference from their home in Lima, Peru. Elder Nash is in the area presidency there. Sis. Nash talked about how she has had to trust in the Lord every day to be able to accomplish her purpose there in Peru. She said her daughter's advice to them when they left was: "Always remember your purpose." She said as she recalls evidence of the Lord's hand in her life, it gives her the assurance to act and move forward every day, knowing that the Lord will bless her as he has in the past. Elder Nash also spoke to the missionaries about their purpose. He said it's important for them to not only have their purpose in their minds, but in their hearts, as well. He related the story of Ammon from the Book of Mormon and how he was connected in mind and heart to his purpose. He fulfilled his purpose and a kingdom was converted. When we met with the ten elders in District A afterward, they seemed quite enthused about remembering their purpose as missionaries and acting accordingly. This was the first district meeting with a district from the new branch, and we enjoyed it. They're all fine elders, and it was good to be with them and to hear their thoughts from the meeting and their testimonies.
The speakers on Tuesday night at the MTC were Elder Marcus B. Nash and his wife, Shelley. They're here for conference from their home in Lima, Peru. Elder Nash is in the area presidency there. Sis. Nash talked about how she has had to trust in the Lord every day to be able to accomplish her purpose there in Peru. She said her daughter's advice to them when they left was: "Always remember your purpose." She said as she recalls evidence of the Lord's hand in her life, it gives her the assurance to act and move forward every day, knowing that the Lord will bless her as he has in the past. Elder Nash also spoke to the missionaries about their purpose. He said it's important for them to not only have their purpose in their minds, but in their hearts, as well. He related the story of Ammon from the Book of Mormon and how he was connected in mind and heart to his purpose. He fulfilled his purpose and a kingdom was converted. When we met with the ten elders in District A afterward, they seemed quite enthused about remembering their purpose as missionaries and acting accordingly. This was the first district meeting with a district from the new branch, and we enjoyed it. They're all fine elders, and it was good to be with them and to hear their thoughts from the meeting and their testimonies.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday Night Salmon Dinner and FHE
Tonight we went over to the Barrett house for dinner--self invited, I might add. When I saw Lindy's blog about the salmon and asparagus she was going to fix, it sounded so delicious! On Sunday when the Barretts came for dinner, Camden said something about Mom fixing salmon tomorrow night. I said I read about it on the blog and I wanted to have some. Camden then said to Lindy, "Gramma wants to come to dinner tomorrow for salmon." What could Lindy do but invite us to dinner? So Steven, Rich and I went over to join the Barretts for dinner tonight. And, yes, it was delicious! Roasted asparagus, baked salmon with Asian glaze and wild rice. For dessert we had zucchini wheat germ cookies with a lemon glaze. They were very tasty, as well. Richard said he liked the cookies but they would have been better without the raisins and with more lemon glaze. He and Nate must think alike. (Nate said he would have liked 2 inches of lemon glaze on top.) We slicked up that 2.8 lbs. of salmon in nothing flat! Yum! Since it still wasn't a good day for grilling outside, Lindy did the salmon and asparagus in the oven; and, I must say, everything was perfect. Thanks, Barretts, for letting us come! When we arrived Nate and the girls were wearing various "dress up" attire. Nate, Camden and Riley went for the Western look, while Sidney was in her Cinderella outfit--high heels and all. She did great walking in the heels--even some running. Very tricky. After dinner, we stayed for FHE, which was very fun. We had an opening song (Riley wanted "Silent Night," but we decided to sing "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home") and prayer, Nate read a story from The Friend. After the closing song and prayer, we had an activity. Grampa suggested "Name that Tune Charades," which the girls thought sounded fun. We had to guess which song was being acted out. I said to Steven and Richard later that there is no way to describe in words how Riley acted out her songs. It was tooooooooooo funny. She made up her own songs, which made it kind of hard to guess the song. She would say, "It's a new song." Camden and Grampa acted out their songs as a team. It was all very fun--and funny.
"Crossing The River"
Yesterday (Sunday) was a big day at the MTC. We started at 8:00 a.m. with fast and testimony meeting in the new branch--Branch 50. Pres. Boone was there to conduct the branch business of releasing Pres. Donaldson and sustaining Pres. Taylor as the new branch president. Pres. Boone asked Steven and me to bear our testimonies, followed by time for a few missionaries to bear their testimonies. Then the Donaldsons were asked to give a parting message to the branch. Sis. Donaldson said she felt like the Lord was showing them a tender mercy by having Pres. and Sis. Taylor replace them because they had served with us previously and it would be easier for them to leave the branch with us there. That was nice of her to say. Pres. Donaldson said that he had been in Nauvoo earlier this week and had stood at the end of Parley Street looking across the Mississippi River. He concluded that CTR doesn't just mean "Choose the Right," it also means, "Cross the River." He told of a friend of his whose ancestors had been in Nauvoo. Half of them chose to cross the river and go west with the saints. The other half chose not to go. Those who crossed the river and went to Utah remained active in the Church. Those who stayed behind fell away from the Church. He said how important it is in our lives to "cross the river,'' to make the choice to follow and serve the Lord. I really liked that analogy of "crossing the river," especially as you picture in your mind that big Mississippi River from the end of Parley Street. Tiffany can really relate to how cold it was the day the pioneers left Nauvoo and crossed the river because she was there on February 4 and participated in a reenactment. What a hard thing that must have been for the pioneers to do. And how greatful we are that they did it. I think in our lives, when we're faced with a hard challenge, we can think about the pioneers and do as they did, "Cross the River."
Something I remembered just now is a sign we saw the other night in the reception area of Pres. Boone's office as we were waiting to see him. It read: "I'm too blessed to be stressed." That's something worth remembering.
After sacrament meeting we went to the Mission Conference which they have at the MTC every fast Sunday. Pres. Hansen, who was released as a district president, and his wife spoke. They were followed by Sis. Madsen and Pres. Madsen. Sis. Madsen told how they had seen the Atonement work in the life of their son, David, who had two brain tumors and many challenges during his 31 years of life before he passed away three years ago. It was touching to hear Sis. Madsen relate how he had overcome the many challenges of his life through the Atonement. She said, "I hope you can liken David's experiences to your own life." David was able to let go of the anger he had felt towards those who had been unkind to him. (Cast your burdens on the Lord.) He accepted his life and his limitations. (Don't compare yourself to others.) He was able to experience joy through service in the temple and being a faithful home teacher. (Find joy in giving service.) He maintained his sense of humor. (Be happy.) He felt and expressed gratitude for his many blessings. (Recognize the Lord's tender mercies in your life.) And he learned to rely on the Lord and focus on spiritual things. Pres. Madsen spoke about the importance of "fervent prayer" in our lives. To pray fervently requires effort on our part. Sis. Boone talked about the importance of keeping a history and recording your experiences so that you can have a record of God's dealings with you. Pres. Boone talked about good music and how it plays such an important part in our lives and in our worship services. That was quite a mission conference. I told Steven it was actually the first one I've attended because I have usually made it a point to attend fast and testimony meeting each month in the 8th ward to keep a connection going with our home ward. But now that we're on this new 8:00 a.m. schedule I'll be able to go to mission conference more.
After mission conference, we had a little study and preparation time before going to fast and testimony meeting in Branch 4. When Pres. Boone got up to conduct the branch business, he said that Pres. Taylor is currently presiding over two branches, so he needs to be released as branch president in this branch. We got to hear from the new branch president, Pres. Lindsey, and his wife, and then there was some time for the missionaries to bear their testimonies before Steven and I gave our parting message. I reminded the missionaries to be obedient, because if they are, then the other things will fall into place. Being obedient is the key for everything else to work. Steven told the story of Elder Aliaga, and how they as missionaries will be able to experience that joy with the fruits of their labors if they will work diligently, teach by the Spirit, and obey with exactness. District B (which leaves this week) and District E (which leaves the week after General Conference) sang their departure number together. That was a big group: 17 elders all singing together. So we said goodbye to the elders in District B who will be leaving this week (Elders Baker, Clements, Trappett, McAllister, Price, Burley, Eakins and Sorensen) and all the other elders in the branch at this time: Elders Brewer, McAllister, Hansen, Norton, Carey, Howard, Thatcher (ZL), Rowley (ZL), Urrutia (ZL), Boyle, McElvain, Barlow, McNinch, Brown, Francis, Kregger, Moore, Campbell, McBride, Smith, Danielson, Hansen, Carter, Morrison, Petersen, Remer, and the new elders this last week, Elders Baxter, Engh, Slade Twitchell, Carter, Warren, Christensen, and Wight. We'll miss seeing them leave but know they'll be great missionaries.
After coming home from the MTC, we enjoyed a fun evening with the Barretts. We had hamburger and rice casserole and corn for dinner. Riley gobbled her corn but had a hard time with the rice casserole. Camden gobbled her rice casserole but had a hard time with her corn. Quite the opposites. Sidney enjoyed eating both things as long as she could feed herself! Everyone loved the tasty sugar cookies from Allen's and the mint Dibs. Sidney tried Dibs for the first time and had quite the funny expressions on her face like "this is good, but painful."
Something I remembered just now is a sign we saw the other night in the reception area of Pres. Boone's office as we were waiting to see him. It read: "I'm too blessed to be stressed." That's something worth remembering.
After sacrament meeting we went to the Mission Conference which they have at the MTC every fast Sunday. Pres. Hansen, who was released as a district president, and his wife spoke. They were followed by Sis. Madsen and Pres. Madsen. Sis. Madsen told how they had seen the Atonement work in the life of their son, David, who had two brain tumors and many challenges during his 31 years of life before he passed away three years ago. It was touching to hear Sis. Madsen relate how he had overcome the many challenges of his life through the Atonement. She said, "I hope you can liken David's experiences to your own life." David was able to let go of the anger he had felt towards those who had been unkind to him. (Cast your burdens on the Lord.) He accepted his life and his limitations. (Don't compare yourself to others.) He was able to experience joy through service in the temple and being a faithful home teacher. (Find joy in giving service.) He maintained his sense of humor. (Be happy.) He felt and expressed gratitude for his many blessings. (Recognize the Lord's tender mercies in your life.) And he learned to rely on the Lord and focus on spiritual things. Pres. Madsen spoke about the importance of "fervent prayer" in our lives. To pray fervently requires effort on our part. Sis. Boone talked about the importance of keeping a history and recording your experiences so that you can have a record of God's dealings with you. Pres. Boone talked about good music and how it plays such an important part in our lives and in our worship services. That was quite a mission conference. I told Steven it was actually the first one I've attended because I have usually made it a point to attend fast and testimony meeting each month in the 8th ward to keep a connection going with our home ward. But now that we're on this new 8:00 a.m. schedule I'll be able to go to mission conference more.
After mission conference, we had a little study and preparation time before going to fast and testimony meeting in Branch 4. When Pres. Boone got up to conduct the branch business, he said that Pres. Taylor is currently presiding over two branches, so he needs to be released as branch president in this branch. We got to hear from the new branch president, Pres. Lindsey, and his wife, and then there was some time for the missionaries to bear their testimonies before Steven and I gave our parting message. I reminded the missionaries to be obedient, because if they are, then the other things will fall into place. Being obedient is the key for everything else to work. Steven told the story of Elder Aliaga, and how they as missionaries will be able to experience that joy with the fruits of their labors if they will work diligently, teach by the Spirit, and obey with exactness. District B (which leaves this week) and District E (which leaves the week after General Conference) sang their departure number together. That was a big group: 17 elders all singing together. So we said goodbye to the elders in District B who will be leaving this week (Elders Baker, Clements, Trappett, McAllister, Price, Burley, Eakins and Sorensen) and all the other elders in the branch at this time: Elders Brewer, McAllister, Hansen, Norton, Carey, Howard, Thatcher (ZL), Rowley (ZL), Urrutia (ZL), Boyle, McElvain, Barlow, McNinch, Brown, Francis, Kregger, Moore, Campbell, McBride, Smith, Danielson, Hansen, Carter, Morrison, Petersen, Remer, and the new elders this last week, Elders Baxter, Engh, Slade Twitchell, Carter, Warren, Christensen, and Wight. We'll miss seeing them leave but know they'll be great missionaries.
After coming home from the MTC, we enjoyed a fun evening with the Barretts. We had hamburger and rice casserole and corn for dinner. Riley gobbled her corn but had a hard time with the rice casserole. Camden gobbled her rice casserole but had a hard time with her corn. Quite the opposites. Sidney enjoyed eating both things as long as she could feed herself! Everyone loved the tasty sugar cookies from Allen's and the mint Dibs. Sidney tried Dibs for the first time and had quite the funny expressions on her face like "this is good, but painful."
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I Must Have Been Worn Out!
Those 200 workouts must have worn me out--I haven't been back to my blog for a week! Actually, it does take time to get over there to Curves every day, so maybe I've been working out instead of blogging! Or something! I've still been going to Curves every day and I really enjoy it. I feel a lot better after I've been. Not that I don't feel well before I go, but I just feel better afterward.
Today is Eliza's #1 Birthday! Happy Birthday Eliza! Those are such cute pictures that Sarah posted today. That was a pretty--and messy--cake! It looks like you all had a fun and exciting day there.
This evening on my way home from AF I stopped by the Barretts and played with the girls in the playroom for a few minutes. Sidney is getting to be such a good walker! She walked and walked bringing me lots of delicious food. She's learned how to do it from the girls. I think she wore herself out going back and forth, back and forth. The Barretts were nice enough to share their real dinner with me--some of Lindy's delicious bean and wild rice soup followed by those mysterious black bean brownies. Very tasty! (See ourveggietales.blogspot.com. Riley told me very excitedly, "My mom has a food blog.")
Steven is at the MTC tonight greeting eight new elders. Last night the MTC Presidency informed us that they will be moving Steven from Branch 4 to Branch 50, where he will serve as branch president there. Ironically, he will be taking the place of Pres. Donaldson who was recently called to be a mission president in San Diego. Pres. Donaldson was Steven's counselor for awhile before he was called to be the branch president in Branch 50. Now Steven will be taking his place. We'll miss serving with the Ahlanders and the Jackmans, and we'll miss the missionaries in Branch 4 that we won't get to see leave. Our new sacrament meeting time will be 8:00 a.m., so that will get me up and going. Steven is already up and long gone by that time anyway, so it won't be too different for him. Maybe he'll be home a little earlier on this new schedule.
Last night (Tuesday) at the MTC Elder W. Douglas Shumway of the Seventy and his wife, Kathy, were the speakers. Elder Shumway used to be president of the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. In fact, when Steven was in Bolivia several years ago on Benson Institute business, he was invited by the Shumways to have dinner with them in the mission home and then they took him on a tour of Santa Cruz where Steven had served his mission. He saw firsthand the amazing growth that had taken place in Santa Cruz in the 30 years since he had served there. Back in the day, Steven had served as president of the one branch in Santa Cruz that met in a rented building. Now there are many stakes, wards, branches and church buildings there.
Sis. Shumway told the missionaries five attributes that could make them strong, powerful missionaries. (These are attributes that, as the wife of a mission president, she hoped missionaries would have when they arrive in the mission field.) First, Be happy. Smile and show that you are happy to serve the Lord. Second, Be humble and teachable. Third, Be obedient. Fourth, Know the doctrine, having felt the Spirit, and be ready to testify. Fifth, Be ready to work. I thought that was a good list of attributes for the missionaries to remember and strive to develop, so that when they arrive in the mission field they are ready for the work.
Elder Shumway gave the missionaries a lot of good counsel and advice on how to be good missionaries. "If you almost do what you are supposed to, then the Lord will almost bless you. . . Satan cannot lock you up. You have the key. The key is repentance. The only power Satan has over you is the power you give him. . .Self control is the road to heaven and self justification is the road to hell. . .The Atonement is the Gospel. . .Don't let the doctrine get too difficult in what you teach. . .Peace will be found only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the soul hope of the world." He told a story of their daughter Stacey who served in Canada. While there, she bore her testimony to a young man who said he wasn't interested in the Church. A few years later, when she was teaching at the MTC, a missionary approached her and told her that he was the young man in Canada to whom she had born testimony and he had told her he wasn't interested. He said her testimony had actually made an impression on him, and that later he asked the missionaries teach him and he was baptized and called on a mission. So you never know what impression you leave with someone when you bear testimony, even if they say they're not interested. Elder Shumway concluded by telling the missionaries, "You are Israelites, children of the covenant, may you serve Him well."
Steven met with the elders in District A after the devotional. I took care of some scheduling arrangements with Richard so that Steven and I could meet with the MTC presidency after the district meeting. I met with the district long enough to bear my testimony to them and to feel the spirit of what they had learned from the meeting. It was later when we met with the MTC presidency that Steven received his new assignment.
Earlier in the week we had fun Easter activities with the Barretts. On Saturday we stayed with the girls from about 3:00 to 5:00 while Nate and Lindy attended a play. We played outside with the girls for awhile. Sidney had fun walking and walking out on the grass. When Lindy and Nate returned, they brought Mexican food home for dinner which we all enjoyed. On Sunday, they came for our Easter dinner of ham, sour cream potatoes and peas followed by BE-Naa-Na Cake! (as Riley used to sing; we can't get her to sing it any more). After dinner the girls had fun hunting for eggs out in the backyard. Instead of candy in the eggs, we had put in "clues" of things they could do to be happy (i.e. Obey Mom and Dad, Be nice to sisters, Go to bed on time, etc.). They liked the clues.
On Easter Sunday, I went to R.S. at the MTC and enjoyed Sis. Lant's most excellent talk about ways we can try to be like the Savior every day by applying Christ-like attributes in our lives. (See Preach My Gospel, pp. 115-123.) She asked, "Is Jesus Christ the center of your life? Is that how you're living your life? I know that as we place Him at the center of our lives, we can find guidance and strength and pece. This becomes the key."
After R.S. I went with Steven to district meeting with the departing district, District C--eight elders and four sisters going to the Carlsbad California Mission, except Sis. Crabbe who is going to Salt Lake City South. They've been a good district. Steven gave them his departure message taken from Jacob 5, quoting Zenos' three things to do to be great missionaries: (1) work diligently, (2) teach by the Spirit, and (3) obey with exactness. Then they can experience joy with the fruits of their labors. He told them the story of Elder Aliaga, from Bolivia, whom we met at the MTC prior to his going to the California Carlsbad Mission. He thought Steven might be the Elder Taylor who baptized his grandmother in Bolivia in 1968. Steven didn't know for sure. After coming home and checking his missionary journal and a 25-year mission reunion list, he found for sure he wasn't the Elder Taylor, but he did find an Elder Mark Taylor whom he thought might have been the one that baptized Elder Aliaga's grandmother. He called Mark Taylor; and, sure enough, he was the one who had taught and baptized Elder Aliaga's grandmother. Steven told him about Elder Aliaga and that all his grandmother's children and grandchildren were active in the Church. Mark Taylor was happy and excited to hear that news. The most amazing thing, however, was that Mark Taylor lived in Carlsbad California where Elder Aliaga was going! He told Steven to give Elder Aliaga his name and phone number so that Elder Aliaga could contact him. A few months later, we got a card from Elder Aliaga with a picture showing him and his companion having dinner with Mark Taylor and his family. He thanked Steven for getting them together. The missionaries liked hearing that story about experiencing joy with the fruits of your labors.
Then in Sacrament Meeting we were visited by our friends Pres. Mark Rowe, of the district presidency, and his wife, Paula. They both spoke and gave wonderful Easter messages about the Atonement. It was nice to have them there. District C sang their departure musical number, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," and "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again." They did a good job, acapella even. Afterwards, we said goodbye to Elders Carlson, McAllister, Poulsen, Stevens, Murray, Stanley, Gagon, and Walton; and Sisters Stepp, Crabbe, Jensen. Sis. Menke is being delayed for two weeks with her injured ankle that needs to heal more, so she is moving to a different branch to be with another delayed sister, and then she'll go to Carlsbad when her ankle is better.
Lots of things happened this week!
Today is Eliza's #1 Birthday! Happy Birthday Eliza! Those are such cute pictures that Sarah posted today. That was a pretty--and messy--cake! It looks like you all had a fun and exciting day there.
This evening on my way home from AF I stopped by the Barretts and played with the girls in the playroom for a few minutes. Sidney is getting to be such a good walker! She walked and walked bringing me lots of delicious food. She's learned how to do it from the girls. I think she wore herself out going back and forth, back and forth. The Barretts were nice enough to share their real dinner with me--some of Lindy's delicious bean and wild rice soup followed by those mysterious black bean brownies. Very tasty! (See ourveggietales.blogspot.com. Riley told me very excitedly, "My mom has a food blog.")
Steven is at the MTC tonight greeting eight new elders. Last night the MTC Presidency informed us that they will be moving Steven from Branch 4 to Branch 50, where he will serve as branch president there. Ironically, he will be taking the place of Pres. Donaldson who was recently called to be a mission president in San Diego. Pres. Donaldson was Steven's counselor for awhile before he was called to be the branch president in Branch 50. Now Steven will be taking his place. We'll miss serving with the Ahlanders and the Jackmans, and we'll miss the missionaries in Branch 4 that we won't get to see leave. Our new sacrament meeting time will be 8:00 a.m., so that will get me up and going. Steven is already up and long gone by that time anyway, so it won't be too different for him. Maybe he'll be home a little earlier on this new schedule.
Last night (Tuesday) at the MTC Elder W. Douglas Shumway of the Seventy and his wife, Kathy, were the speakers. Elder Shumway used to be president of the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. In fact, when Steven was in Bolivia several years ago on Benson Institute business, he was invited by the Shumways to have dinner with them in the mission home and then they took him on a tour of Santa Cruz where Steven had served his mission. He saw firsthand the amazing growth that had taken place in Santa Cruz in the 30 years since he had served there. Back in the day, Steven had served as president of the one branch in Santa Cruz that met in a rented building. Now there are many stakes, wards, branches and church buildings there.
Sis. Shumway told the missionaries five attributes that could make them strong, powerful missionaries. (These are attributes that, as the wife of a mission president, she hoped missionaries would have when they arrive in the mission field.) First, Be happy. Smile and show that you are happy to serve the Lord. Second, Be humble and teachable. Third, Be obedient. Fourth, Know the doctrine, having felt the Spirit, and be ready to testify. Fifth, Be ready to work. I thought that was a good list of attributes for the missionaries to remember and strive to develop, so that when they arrive in the mission field they are ready for the work.
Elder Shumway gave the missionaries a lot of good counsel and advice on how to be good missionaries. "If you almost do what you are supposed to, then the Lord will almost bless you. . . Satan cannot lock you up. You have the key. The key is repentance. The only power Satan has over you is the power you give him. . .Self control is the road to heaven and self justification is the road to hell. . .The Atonement is the Gospel. . .Don't let the doctrine get too difficult in what you teach. . .Peace will be found only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the soul hope of the world." He told a story of their daughter Stacey who served in Canada. While there, she bore her testimony to a young man who said he wasn't interested in the Church. A few years later, when she was teaching at the MTC, a missionary approached her and told her that he was the young man in Canada to whom she had born testimony and he had told her he wasn't interested. He said her testimony had actually made an impression on him, and that later he asked the missionaries teach him and he was baptized and called on a mission. So you never know what impression you leave with someone when you bear testimony, even if they say they're not interested. Elder Shumway concluded by telling the missionaries, "You are Israelites, children of the covenant, may you serve Him well."
Steven met with the elders in District A after the devotional. I took care of some scheduling arrangements with Richard so that Steven and I could meet with the MTC presidency after the district meeting. I met with the district long enough to bear my testimony to them and to feel the spirit of what they had learned from the meeting. It was later when we met with the MTC presidency that Steven received his new assignment.
Earlier in the week we had fun Easter activities with the Barretts. On Saturday we stayed with the girls from about 3:00 to 5:00 while Nate and Lindy attended a play. We played outside with the girls for awhile. Sidney had fun walking and walking out on the grass. When Lindy and Nate returned, they brought Mexican food home for dinner which we all enjoyed. On Sunday, they came for our Easter dinner of ham, sour cream potatoes and peas followed by BE-Naa-Na Cake! (as Riley used to sing; we can't get her to sing it any more). After dinner the girls had fun hunting for eggs out in the backyard. Instead of candy in the eggs, we had put in "clues" of things they could do to be happy (i.e. Obey Mom and Dad, Be nice to sisters, Go to bed on time, etc.). They liked the clues.
On Easter Sunday, I went to R.S. at the MTC and enjoyed Sis. Lant's most excellent talk about ways we can try to be like the Savior every day by applying Christ-like attributes in our lives. (See Preach My Gospel, pp. 115-123.) She asked, "Is Jesus Christ the center of your life? Is that how you're living your life? I know that as we place Him at the center of our lives, we can find guidance and strength and pece. This becomes the key."
After R.S. I went with Steven to district meeting with the departing district, District C--eight elders and four sisters going to the Carlsbad California Mission, except Sis. Crabbe who is going to Salt Lake City South. They've been a good district. Steven gave them his departure message taken from Jacob 5, quoting Zenos' three things to do to be great missionaries: (1) work diligently, (2) teach by the Spirit, and (3) obey with exactness. Then they can experience joy with the fruits of their labors. He told them the story of Elder Aliaga, from Bolivia, whom we met at the MTC prior to his going to the California Carlsbad Mission. He thought Steven might be the Elder Taylor who baptized his grandmother in Bolivia in 1968. Steven didn't know for sure. After coming home and checking his missionary journal and a 25-year mission reunion list, he found for sure he wasn't the Elder Taylor, but he did find an Elder Mark Taylor whom he thought might have been the one that baptized Elder Aliaga's grandmother. He called Mark Taylor; and, sure enough, he was the one who had taught and baptized Elder Aliaga's grandmother. Steven told him about Elder Aliaga and that all his grandmother's children and grandchildren were active in the Church. Mark Taylor was happy and excited to hear that news. The most amazing thing, however, was that Mark Taylor lived in Carlsbad California where Elder Aliaga was going! He told Steven to give Elder Aliaga his name and phone number so that Elder Aliaga could contact him. A few months later, we got a card from Elder Aliaga with a picture showing him and his companion having dinner with Mark Taylor and his family. He thanked Steven for getting them together. The missionaries liked hearing that story about experiencing joy with the fruits of your labors.
Then in Sacrament Meeting we were visited by our friends Pres. Mark Rowe, of the district presidency, and his wife, Paula. They both spoke and gave wonderful Easter messages about the Atonement. It was nice to have them there. District C sang their departure musical number, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," and "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again." They did a good job, acapella even. Afterwards, we said goodbye to Elders Carlson, McAllister, Poulsen, Stevens, Murray, Stanley, Gagon, and Walton; and Sisters Stepp, Crabbe, Jensen. Sis. Menke is being delayed for two weeks with her injured ankle that needs to heal more, so she is moving to a different branch to be with another delayed sister, and then she'll go to Carlsbad when her ankle is better.
Lots of things happened this week!
Labels:
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
200 Workouts
Today I had my 200th workout at Curves. Hooray for me! I didn't get my "200 Workouts" T-shirt because they didn't have my size; but, hopefully, I can get it soon so I can brag about working out 200 times! I started going to Curves every day a couple of weeks ago, and I really like going every day. I should have been doing it sooner.
Last night at the MTC the speakers were Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Kathy. Elder Andersen spoke about why sacrifice is such an important part of missionary work. He told the story of Benjamin Landart who, in 1888, gave up his chance to play in the territorial orchestra and sold his beloved violin so he could serve a mission. Forty-five years later he said, "The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved for the God I loved even more. He has never forgotten me." Elder Andersen went on to say that this will be a time of great sacrifice for you. Exact obedience is part of sacrifice. Leaving your family and friends and things you love is part of sacrifice. Your time becomes the Lord's time. He said that when he was a mission president in France he used to feel sorry for the missionaries when they would come to him with their stories of their struggles and how hard things were. That made him recall his own struggles as a missionary in France, so he would feel sorry for the missionaries. One day he felt an impression from the Lord that said, "Pres. Andersen. Don't feel sorry for them. They're not serving this mission for you, they're serving it mission for me, and I don't feel sorry for them." Elder Andersen said that made him realize that the struggles, the rejections and hard times are the things that cause missionaries to grow, to humble themselves and to become better servants for Him. Great blessings come into their lives as a result, even blessings that extend long past their missions. Then Elder Andersen talked about how Christ was the greatest example of sacrifice. "What an example He set for us in our miniature world of sacrifice!"
After the devotional, we met with the District D, which is the new district that came in last Wednesday--eight elders: two going to Bolivia and six going to Mexico. They seemed to have learned a lot about sacrifice from Elder Andersen and how sacrifice is and will be an essential part of their missionary service. It was kind of strange for me when I first went in to the classroom where old District D also met before they left last Wednesday. I felt like they were still there somehow, or at least I could kind of see and feel them in the room. That's the first time I have felt something of an old district in one of their classrooms after they had left the MTC. Or maybe it was just the first time I paid attention to that feeling. In any case, it caused me to think about them and wonder how they are doing.
Last night at the MTC the speakers were Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Kathy. Elder Andersen spoke about why sacrifice is such an important part of missionary work. He told the story of Benjamin Landart who, in 1888, gave up his chance to play in the territorial orchestra and sold his beloved violin so he could serve a mission. Forty-five years later he said, "The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved for the God I loved even more. He has never forgotten me." Elder Andersen went on to say that this will be a time of great sacrifice for you. Exact obedience is part of sacrifice. Leaving your family and friends and things you love is part of sacrifice. Your time becomes the Lord's time. He said that when he was a mission president in France he used to feel sorry for the missionaries when they would come to him with their stories of their struggles and how hard things were. That made him recall his own struggles as a missionary in France, so he would feel sorry for the missionaries. One day he felt an impression from the Lord that said, "Pres. Andersen. Don't feel sorry for them. They're not serving this mission for you, they're serving it mission for me, and I don't feel sorry for them." Elder Andersen said that made him realize that the struggles, the rejections and hard times are the things that cause missionaries to grow, to humble themselves and to become better servants for Him. Great blessings come into their lives as a result, even blessings that extend long past their missions. Then Elder Andersen talked about how Christ was the greatest example of sacrifice. "What an example He set for us in our miniature world of sacrifice!"
After the devotional, we met with the District D, which is the new district that came in last Wednesday--eight elders: two going to Bolivia and six going to Mexico. They seemed to have learned a lot about sacrifice from Elder Andersen and how sacrifice is and will be an essential part of their missionary service. It was kind of strange for me when I first went in to the classroom where old District D also met before they left last Wednesday. I felt like they were still there somehow, or at least I could kind of see and feel them in the room. That's the first time I have felt something of an old district in one of their classrooms after they had left the MTC. Or maybe it was just the first time I paid attention to that feeling. In any case, it caused me to think about them and wonder how they are doing.
Labels:
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Monday, March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patty's Day!
We hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick's Day. I didn't make it over to the Barretts as I had hoped today. Darn! I missed catching that little leprechaun at work! (Check out that busy little leprechaun on Lindy's blog.) We enjoyed our early-morning greeting (via the blog) from the little leprechaun in South Carolina. Who knew we had such cute little leprechauns in the family? We were glad we could celebrate with the Barretts last night with our corned beef and cabbage dinner. That was fun, and the girls were such good eaters. But Lindy's St. Patty's dinner looks like it wins the prize for the tastiest and most creative St. P's dinner ever. Grampa would love some of those leprechaun fingers. Way to go Lindy! It sounds like Tiff didn't have much time to celebrate today being so busy and not feeling too great, but we hope you had some fun wearin' the green. Sure love all of you!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
St. Patty's Day Dinner (A Day Early)
Tonight for dinner with the Barretts (minus Nate) we had corned beef, cabbage and potatoes in celebration of St. Patty's Day tomorrow. I was amazed at how the girls seemed to LOVE it. Riley ate her dinner so fast, in fact, that her tummy hurt and she had to lie down for awhile after dinner. Lindy said Riley's tummy isn't used to getting food so fast. For dessert we had yummy peach cream pie which the Barretts had purchased from the LaCrosse team boys who were doing a fundraiser. Surprisingly, it was very good. I say surprisingly because the boys had supposedly made the pies themselves. It actually was very good. Riley and Camden asked for seconds. After dinner we talked to Tiff, now back in Illinois, on the phone. When Riley first arrived this evening, she asked, "Where's Tiff?" We had to remind her that Tiffany had gone back to Illinois. When we tried to get Sidney to talk to Tiff on the phone, Sid just looked at the phone like "why is she in there?" Later, however, when Lindy brought up Tiff's blog page, Sidney (who was sitting on Lindy's lap), raised her hand and smiled and said a big "HI" when she saw Tiffany's picture on the blog. She was happy to see Tiff. The girls are already planning their next sleepover to be held in May.
Earlier today I went to Springville to Cousin Jacob Rawle's mission farewell. He's entering the MTC on Wednesday bound for Nicaragua. Steven took care of his branch president responsibilities at the MTC (including giving a talk on "Follow the Prophet") and I had a day with the extended family. (Too bad I wasn't able to speak at the MTC, but I'll have another chance in a few weeks.) It was a very nice meeting, and Jacob did a good job on his talk about the Apostasy and Restoration. He did such a good job, in fact, that Grandpa T. told him he hadn't heard a better talk from a missionary leaving for his mission. Speaking of Grandpa, he got along very well today. He enjoyed the meeting (with the help of a hearing device) and stayed a couple of hours over at Pat and Jim's visiting with everyone. There was a lot of good food there at Pat and Jim's plus lots of family to visit with. It really was a very nice day. Steven and I will be looking for Jacob at the MTC. Unfortunately, he won't be in our branch; but we'll get to see him, I'm sure.
Richard attended church at the 8th ward and reported that we now have a new counselor in the bishopric to replace Bro. Loveless. The new counselor is Bro. Runnells, just back from a trip to Morroco. Richard had guessed that it might be Bro. Runnells. He's a very good guesser. He guessed two members of the new Stake Presidency and he guessed Bishop Knell when he was made bishop awhile ago.
Earlier today I went to Springville to Cousin Jacob Rawle's mission farewell. He's entering the MTC on Wednesday bound for Nicaragua. Steven took care of his branch president responsibilities at the MTC (including giving a talk on "Follow the Prophet") and I had a day with the extended family. (Too bad I wasn't able to speak at the MTC, but I'll have another chance in a few weeks.) It was a very nice meeting, and Jacob did a good job on his talk about the Apostasy and Restoration. He did such a good job, in fact, that Grandpa T. told him he hadn't heard a better talk from a missionary leaving for his mission. Speaking of Grandpa, he got along very well today. He enjoyed the meeting (with the help of a hearing device) and stayed a couple of hours over at Pat and Jim's visiting with everyone. There was a lot of good food there at Pat and Jim's plus lots of family to visit with. It really was a very nice day. Steven and I will be looking for Jacob at the MTC. Unfortunately, he won't be in our branch; but we'll get to see him, I'm sure.
Richard attended church at the 8th ward and reported that we now have a new counselor in the bishopric to replace Bro. Loveless. The new counselor is Bro. Runnells, just back from a trip to Morroco. Richard had guessed that it might be Bro. Runnells. He's a very good guesser. He guessed two members of the new Stake Presidency and he guessed Bishop Knell when he was made bishop awhile ago.
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Saturday, March 15, 2008
A Whirlwind Week!
Boy! That week went by fast while Tiffany was home. Now she's back in Charleston already! We had A LOT of fun while she was here and got lots of good things accomplished.
On SUNDAY, March 9, Tiff, Rich and I went to church in the 8th ward. I left after Sacrament Meeting to go up to the MTC. Tiff and Rich went to Sunday School and then to Priesthood and Relief Society. I shouldn't have left Tiff to fend for herself in RS, but she got along all right. She said the ladies were a little concerned that she had postponed her wedding until December and that she wouldn't be getting married in Nauvoo, afterall; but it's okay. They'll get used to it. I had a nice time at the MTC where we said goodbye to District D: Elders Lamb, Wilson, McCollum, Calcara and Collins; and Hermanas Leach and Park. They've been a good district and are headed to Salt Lake City and San Fernando. For their musical number, they sang, "How Great Thou Art," accompanied by Sis. Leach on the flute and Elder Price on the violin. They did a good job. The missionary speakers were Elder Eakins and Hermana Crabbe. Bro. and Sis. Jackman were the other speakers and they spoke about prayer. Sis. Jackman said that we should pray and ask for help in even the little things. The Lord will help us. Bro. Jackman said that the Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives if we are obedient and ask for His help.
The Barretts came for Sunday dinner and we had bean soup. The girls LOVE beans and rice--especially Sidney. When Lindy said, "We're going to say the prayer," Sidney put her hand over her heart because she thought Lindy had said "We're going to say the pledge." The girls had lots of fun playing with Tiffany after dinner.
On MONDAY, March 10, Tiff went with me to my Club lunch at Chef's Table. She's never eaten there before, so I thought she'd enjoy it. I had a tasty steak wrap and she had a yummy steak salad which were both very good. She said my friends are funny (in a good way, I hope). After lunch we went by Goldsmith's Jewelers to drop Tiff's ring off to be sized to a 4.5. Who would have thought Tiff had such little fingers? Then we went to the White Willow Reception Center in Provo to check out the possibilities for a wedding luncheon there. It's a fun place--a neat old home in the historic part of Provo. The prices are reasonable, too. It seems like it would be a great place for Tiff & Greg to have their wedding lunch. After the White Willow, we went by the Distribution Center to pick up a few things. Then we went by a couple of white dress places just to see what was out there. We weren't really thinking that we would find THE dress; but at White Elegance, we found the perfect dress. It's meant to be a temple dress, but it is so lovely it can be a temple/wedding dress. If we were to have one made, it would look exactly like this dress. So we got it. It just needs to be altered a little to fit perfectly (sleeves and hem adjusted). With a burgandy sash, it should be just perfect.
After dinner we went over to the T's in Springville for FHE. Tiffany showed us her presentation she did for the RS birthday party in Charleston. It was very good. I think Grandpa T. was quite impressed with Tiff's sweet historical and audio/visual skills. Grandma Cathy had baked a delicious cherry pie for dessert, which we all enjoyed.
On TUESDAY, Mar 11, we went to Excel Eye Center for Tiff's yearly exam. While there we somehow fell into a black hole. Glenn Beck would say a "worm" hole. Anyway, at 9:30, when we checked in, they had to redo all of Tiff's personal information because of a new computer system. That took until 10:00. Once that was done, we sat down and waited, and waited and waited to be called back to see the doctor. All these people who had come in after us were going back, but no one called for Tiffany. We wondered what was up. Plus there were all these people in there trying to get their records updated and waiting to see the doctors. There was such a crush at the reception area it was impossible to talk to anyone. When Tiff was able to ask someone why we hadn't been called back, the lady just said, "Oh, Dr. Parsons is backed up today." Finally, 11:15, when we'd been there almost two hours, I went to the one head lady and told her that we better reschedule our appointment for May because we couldn't wait any longer. That made her go in search of Tiffany's chart, which no one could seem to locate. Finally, it was found somewhere where it shouldn't have been and they called Tiff back to see the doctor. Once we were back there it didn't take long at all. The doctor said her eyes look fine and she doesn't even need new glasses. So that was good news. After the checkup, we sped away from there to make our 12:00 appointment with our friend Yevon Romney for a belated birthday lunch with her at Brick Oven. That was fun. We shared a 14" barbecue chicken pizza. Very tasty!
Tuesday evening Steven came home for dinner so we could eat with Tiff before we went to the MTC for the devotional. While we were gone, she was able to get some miscellaneous things done around here. The speaker at the devotional was Elder Spencer V. Jones, of the Seventy, whom we have never heard before. His talk was about the plan of salvation, with emphasis on the missionaries' objective of putting people on the path that will eventually lead them to the celestial kingdom and life with our Father in Heaven. Afterward, we met with District E, which had just had one of their district members leave to go home that morning. They were feeling emotional about that, so it was good that Steven could be there with them that evening to help them feel better about everything. The three new zone leaders are in this district: Elders Thatcher, Rowley, and Urrutia. (They replaced Elders Lamb and Wilson who were leaving for the mission field Wednesday morning.)
On WEDNESDAY, March 12, I went with Tiff out to Camp Floyd so she could check with Mark Trotter about her upcoming internship there. We left here at 9:15 a.m. and it took us about 45 minutes to get out there, just in time for her 10:00 appointment. When she met with Mark, it was a little disappointing because he told her he would only be able to pay her for four months instead of the six months which he had told her earlier. He said she could volunteer for the final two months, but that didn't sound too good because she would have to drive all the way out there for two months and not get paid, even for gas. Bummer. So we were kind of down in the mouth about that, until Tiffany decided that maybe it could work if she did her internship there at Camp Floyd from June to October, then get married in October instead of December, and then go with Greg to Illinois where she could finish her internship for the last two months. I had a similar idea, so it turned out we were thinking along the same lines. Tiff called Greg to see what he thought about the plan, and he thought it sounded good. So we felt better about things after that.
On our way home from Camp Floyd, we stopped at Thanksgiving Point to check out the wedding luncheon possibilities there, since we were in the neighborhood. The facility fee is not bad ($100 for two hours including linens, servers, etc.) but the food is waaaaaaaay expensive. It made White Willow look all that much better.
That evening, while Steven was at the MTC greeting 8 new elders, Tiff and I met Greg's mom at Bajio in PG. She treated us to dinner, so that was nice. We had a good visit with her and enjoyed our shrimp tacos. She about had a heart attack when Tiff said there was a change in the wedding plans and she noticed that Tiff was not wearing her ring. When Tiff saw her panicked expression, Tiff assurred her that everything was fine, the ring was at the jewelers getting sized but there had just been a change in the date. Pam was much relieved. She thought the new plans sounded good. She told us her new plan was to leave here on Saturday to join her husband in Arizona and start a new job there. Good luck to her!
On THURSDAY, March 13, Tiff went with Steven in to BYU so she could spend some time at the library. I met her at 1:00 at the Wilkenson Center. While there we decided to go to BYU Catering to check on the possibilites of a wedding luncheon there in the Skyroom. We thought we might as well while we were there. The girl that helped us seemed a little spacey and couldn't really give us definite answers to our questions. I think they're in the midst of changing some of their prices and policies. All in all it sounded pretty good, but I thought White Willow still sounded better. We wouldn't want to have it there in the Skyroom if Oct. 18 is homecoming weekend; and the date of homecoming hasn't been set yet, so the Skyroom is a question. My vote is for White Willow.
After meeting with catering, we went down off campus and enjoyed an authentic J Dog and all the taste and ambience that goes with that. Eat your hearts out, Sarah and Joel! (j/k) The reason we went there is because they love J Dogs so much, and rightfully so.
That afternoon, after dropping Rich off in AF, Tiff and I drove around AF and PG taking pictures of old homes for her Mormon architecture paper, then we went to the Holy Cow boutique, which was a lot of fun. We saw the lady who checked us in at Excel Eye Center and she was embarrassed when she saw us, but we told her no hard feelings. She didn't know what happened to Tiff's papers after they left her hands, so it wasn't her fault.
Just when we thought our day couldn't get any better, we went over to the Barretts for dinner where Steven joined us. What fun we had, and what delicious food! Lindy fixed some of her tasty squash and potatoes on spinach with buckwheat crepes. Yum! Yum! For dessert, she had fixed a wonderful coconut cream pie, which had a layer of chocolate pudding, and was topped with coconut marshmellows. Talk about delicious! The little girls enjoyed fixing food down in the playroom. Sidney can even join in on the preparation and serving of such food now that she can walk and bring the food over from the stove to the "customer."
On FRIDAY, March 14, we ran over to Target to check things out there. Tiffany had been wanting to go over there since she misses Target so much in Illinois. She's lucky to live almost next door to Wal-Mart, but it's just not the same as Target. She did stuff around home while I ran Rich over to AF. Then we went in to BYU to pick up some papers from the library; then to Goldsmith's to pick up the ring (which fit perfectly); then to Shirley's to pick up w/w rolls for dinner, but they were out of the w/w rolls, so we picked up w/w bread instead. We made it home just in time to get the spaghetti cooking before the Barretts arrived for dinner. We wanted to have one more dinner with them before Tiffany left, plus the girls wanted to see Tiff's ring (without the sizer on the back) and the wedding dress. They liked both the ring and the dress. Camden said the dress just needs a sash that's burgandy with pink polka dots. She also said in a tired voice, "We're sure talking a lot about weddings." (When Camden grows tired of wedding talk, then you know it's time to stop.)
On SATURDAY, March 15, we got up bright and early to get Tiff to the airport to catch her 8:45 a.m. flight to Chicago. We got up to the airport without incident and got her checked in and moving through Security. Then we headed home. By noon (our time) she was already in Chicago, catching the train to Union Station where she met up with Aly for lunch and the train ride to Mattoon where Greg met them and took them to Charleston. We're glad she made it back safely and that we could have such a fun time while she was here. I can't believe how fast the week went by, though. Two months from today, I'll fly to St. Louis where she and Greg will pick me up (after the Cardinals game), and then I'll drive home with her to Utah. Sounds like another fun adventure is in store.
On SUNDAY, March 9, Tiff, Rich and I went to church in the 8th ward. I left after Sacrament Meeting to go up to the MTC. Tiff and Rich went to Sunday School and then to Priesthood and Relief Society. I shouldn't have left Tiff to fend for herself in RS, but she got along all right. She said the ladies were a little concerned that she had postponed her wedding until December and that she wouldn't be getting married in Nauvoo, afterall; but it's okay. They'll get used to it. I had a nice time at the MTC where we said goodbye to District D: Elders Lamb, Wilson, McCollum, Calcara and Collins; and Hermanas Leach and Park. They've been a good district and are headed to Salt Lake City and San Fernando. For their musical number, they sang, "How Great Thou Art," accompanied by Sis. Leach on the flute and Elder Price on the violin. They did a good job. The missionary speakers were Elder Eakins and Hermana Crabbe. Bro. and Sis. Jackman were the other speakers and they spoke about prayer. Sis. Jackman said that we should pray and ask for help in even the little things. The Lord will help us. Bro. Jackman said that the Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives if we are obedient and ask for His help.
The Barretts came for Sunday dinner and we had bean soup. The girls LOVE beans and rice--especially Sidney. When Lindy said, "We're going to say the prayer," Sidney put her hand over her heart because she thought Lindy had said "We're going to say the pledge." The girls had lots of fun playing with Tiffany after dinner.
On MONDAY, March 10, Tiff went with me to my Club lunch at Chef's Table. She's never eaten there before, so I thought she'd enjoy it. I had a tasty steak wrap and she had a yummy steak salad which were both very good. She said my friends are funny (in a good way, I hope). After lunch we went by Goldsmith's Jewelers to drop Tiff's ring off to be sized to a 4.5. Who would have thought Tiff had such little fingers? Then we went to the White Willow Reception Center in Provo to check out the possibilities for a wedding luncheon there. It's a fun place--a neat old home in the historic part of Provo. The prices are reasonable, too. It seems like it would be a great place for Tiff & Greg to have their wedding lunch. After the White Willow, we went by the Distribution Center to pick up a few things. Then we went by a couple of white dress places just to see what was out there. We weren't really thinking that we would find THE dress; but at White Elegance, we found the perfect dress. It's meant to be a temple dress, but it is so lovely it can be a temple/wedding dress. If we were to have one made, it would look exactly like this dress. So we got it. It just needs to be altered a little to fit perfectly (sleeves and hem adjusted). With a burgandy sash, it should be just perfect.
After dinner we went over to the T's in Springville for FHE. Tiffany showed us her presentation she did for the RS birthday party in Charleston. It was very good. I think Grandpa T. was quite impressed with Tiff's sweet historical and audio/visual skills. Grandma Cathy had baked a delicious cherry pie for dessert, which we all enjoyed.
On TUESDAY, Mar 11, we went to Excel Eye Center for Tiff's yearly exam. While there we somehow fell into a black hole. Glenn Beck would say a "worm" hole. Anyway, at 9:30, when we checked in, they had to redo all of Tiff's personal information because of a new computer system. That took until 10:00. Once that was done, we sat down and waited, and waited and waited to be called back to see the doctor. All these people who had come in after us were going back, but no one called for Tiffany. We wondered what was up. Plus there were all these people in there trying to get their records updated and waiting to see the doctors. There was such a crush at the reception area it was impossible to talk to anyone. When Tiff was able to ask someone why we hadn't been called back, the lady just said, "Oh, Dr. Parsons is backed up today." Finally, 11:15, when we'd been there almost two hours, I went to the one head lady and told her that we better reschedule our appointment for May because we couldn't wait any longer. That made her go in search of Tiffany's chart, which no one could seem to locate. Finally, it was found somewhere where it shouldn't have been and they called Tiff back to see the doctor. Once we were back there it didn't take long at all. The doctor said her eyes look fine and she doesn't even need new glasses. So that was good news. After the checkup, we sped away from there to make our 12:00 appointment with our friend Yevon Romney for a belated birthday lunch with her at Brick Oven. That was fun. We shared a 14" barbecue chicken pizza. Very tasty!
Tuesday evening Steven came home for dinner so we could eat with Tiff before we went to the MTC for the devotional. While we were gone, she was able to get some miscellaneous things done around here. The speaker at the devotional was Elder Spencer V. Jones, of the Seventy, whom we have never heard before. His talk was about the plan of salvation, with emphasis on the missionaries' objective of putting people on the path that will eventually lead them to the celestial kingdom and life with our Father in Heaven. Afterward, we met with District E, which had just had one of their district members leave to go home that morning. They were feeling emotional about that, so it was good that Steven could be there with them that evening to help them feel better about everything. The three new zone leaders are in this district: Elders Thatcher, Rowley, and Urrutia. (They replaced Elders Lamb and Wilson who were leaving for the mission field Wednesday morning.)
On WEDNESDAY, March 12, I went with Tiff out to Camp Floyd so she could check with Mark Trotter about her upcoming internship there. We left here at 9:15 a.m. and it took us about 45 minutes to get out there, just in time for her 10:00 appointment. When she met with Mark, it was a little disappointing because he told her he would only be able to pay her for four months instead of the six months which he had told her earlier. He said she could volunteer for the final two months, but that didn't sound too good because she would have to drive all the way out there for two months and not get paid, even for gas. Bummer. So we were kind of down in the mouth about that, until Tiffany decided that maybe it could work if she did her internship there at Camp Floyd from June to October, then get married in October instead of December, and then go with Greg to Illinois where she could finish her internship for the last two months. I had a similar idea, so it turned out we were thinking along the same lines. Tiff called Greg to see what he thought about the plan, and he thought it sounded good. So we felt better about things after that.
On our way home from Camp Floyd, we stopped at Thanksgiving Point to check out the wedding luncheon possibilities there, since we were in the neighborhood. The facility fee is not bad ($100 for two hours including linens, servers, etc.) but the food is waaaaaaaay expensive. It made White Willow look all that much better.
That evening, while Steven was at the MTC greeting 8 new elders, Tiff and I met Greg's mom at Bajio in PG. She treated us to dinner, so that was nice. We had a good visit with her and enjoyed our shrimp tacos. She about had a heart attack when Tiff said there was a change in the wedding plans and she noticed that Tiff was not wearing her ring. When Tiff saw her panicked expression, Tiff assurred her that everything was fine, the ring was at the jewelers getting sized but there had just been a change in the date. Pam was much relieved. She thought the new plans sounded good. She told us her new plan was to leave here on Saturday to join her husband in Arizona and start a new job there. Good luck to her!
On THURSDAY, March 13, Tiff went with Steven in to BYU so she could spend some time at the library. I met her at 1:00 at the Wilkenson Center. While there we decided to go to BYU Catering to check on the possibilites of a wedding luncheon there in the Skyroom. We thought we might as well while we were there. The girl that helped us seemed a little spacey and couldn't really give us definite answers to our questions. I think they're in the midst of changing some of their prices and policies. All in all it sounded pretty good, but I thought White Willow still sounded better. We wouldn't want to have it there in the Skyroom if Oct. 18 is homecoming weekend; and the date of homecoming hasn't been set yet, so the Skyroom is a question. My vote is for White Willow.
After meeting with catering, we went down off campus and enjoyed an authentic J Dog and all the taste and ambience that goes with that. Eat your hearts out, Sarah and Joel! (j/k) The reason we went there is because they love J Dogs so much, and rightfully so.
That afternoon, after dropping Rich off in AF, Tiff and I drove around AF and PG taking pictures of old homes for her Mormon architecture paper, then we went to the Holy Cow boutique, which was a lot of fun. We saw the lady who checked us in at Excel Eye Center and she was embarrassed when she saw us, but we told her no hard feelings. She didn't know what happened to Tiff's papers after they left her hands, so it wasn't her fault.
Just when we thought our day couldn't get any better, we went over to the Barretts for dinner where Steven joined us. What fun we had, and what delicious food! Lindy fixed some of her tasty squash and potatoes on spinach with buckwheat crepes. Yum! Yum! For dessert, she had fixed a wonderful coconut cream pie, which had a layer of chocolate pudding, and was topped with coconut marshmellows. Talk about delicious! The little girls enjoyed fixing food down in the playroom. Sidney can even join in on the preparation and serving of such food now that she can walk and bring the food over from the stove to the "customer."
On FRIDAY, March 14, we ran over to Target to check things out there. Tiffany had been wanting to go over there since she misses Target so much in Illinois. She's lucky to live almost next door to Wal-Mart, but it's just not the same as Target. She did stuff around home while I ran Rich over to AF. Then we went in to BYU to pick up some papers from the library; then to Goldsmith's to pick up the ring (which fit perfectly); then to Shirley's to pick up w/w rolls for dinner, but they were out of the w/w rolls, so we picked up w/w bread instead. We made it home just in time to get the spaghetti cooking before the Barretts arrived for dinner. We wanted to have one more dinner with them before Tiffany left, plus the girls wanted to see Tiff's ring (without the sizer on the back) and the wedding dress. They liked both the ring and the dress. Camden said the dress just needs a sash that's burgandy with pink polka dots. She also said in a tired voice, "We're sure talking a lot about weddings." (When Camden grows tired of wedding talk, then you know it's time to stop.)
On SATURDAY, March 15, we got up bright and early to get Tiff to the airport to catch her 8:45 a.m. flight to Chicago. We got up to the airport without incident and got her checked in and moving through Security. Then we headed home. By noon (our time) she was already in Chicago, catching the train to Union Station where she met up with Aly for lunch and the train ride to Mattoon where Greg met them and took them to Charleston. We're glad she made it back safely and that we could have such a fun time while she was here. I can't believe how fast the week went by, though. Two months from today, I'll fly to St. Louis where she and Greg will pick me up (after the Cardinals game), and then I'll drive home with her to Utah. Sounds like another fun adventure is in store.
Labels:
Barretts,
Camp Floyd,
Club lunch,
Dr. Parsons,
Eating Out,
Greg's Mom,
J Dogs,
MTC,
Tiffany Spring Break,
wedding plans,
White Willow,
Yevon
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