Sunday Spaghetti Dinner

So tonight we had spaghetti (MTC style) for dinner. That spaghetti we had at the MTC last Tuesday was so good, I wanted to try to duplicate it. So I did. I used the can of organic crushed tomatoes with basil that we inherited from Joel and Sarah, plus a can of Italian style diced tomatoes, plus a can of tomato puree. I added that to some sauteed onions and celery. Then I added a small can of mushrooms and a small can of sliced olives, then a 1/2 lb. of browned ground beef and let it simmer for awhile. Voila! MTC-style spaghetti. When Camden arrived and found out we were having spaghetti, she was very excited because spaghetti is one of her two favorite dishes. But, alas, I think she was a little disappointed in the MTC-style spaghetti--it was a little too crunchy and chunky. (What are all those things in there?) That's okay. She was brave and slicked up her plate. Riley did, too. As for Grampa and me, we thought it tasted as good as the MTC spaghetti did. I don't know if that's saying much, but we thought it was good.

I joined Steven at the MTC for sacrament meeting. We both got to speak. Our possible topics were chastity, Word of Wisdom, and fasting. Elder Silcox spoke on the Word of Wisdom and Elder Rodee spoke on chastity. Their talks were in Spanish, but I could tell which topics they were speaking about. I spoke about fasting, and how, when we combine it with prayer, we are more receptive to receiving answers to our prayers and blessings from the Lord. Steven spoke about chastity and the importance of being "clean." He told the story of Joseph F. Smith on his mission in Hawaii as a young boy and how, in a dream, he arrived at a mansion and was greeted by his uncle, the prophet Joseph. Joseph told him he was late; but young Joseph F. Smith replied, "Yes, but I am clean." President Hinckley had related that same story in a priesthood session. Then Dad told about the "miracle to Slovakia" which was reported in the Church News last year; about how an army of 60 missionaries from the mission in the Czech Republic went into Slovakia and gathered the necessary 20,000 signatures needed for the Church to be officially recognized in Slovakia, a seemingly impossible task. But, as Dad said, when missionaries are clean and worthy and desiring to do the work of the Lord, they can accomplish great tasks, even miracles.

Today we said goodbye to District C--the other half of the large group that came in several weeks ago: Elder Opheikens, Elder Lewis, Elder Cox, Elder Ortiz, Elder Lofgran, Elder Stevenson, and Elder DeKay (his dad is a dentist, get it?). For their departure number they sang "Senor te Necissito" (I Need Thee Every Hour). They were pretty bad singers, but the spirit was very strong as they sang. They put their whole hearts into it. So I was glad to be there to hear it. Also, Sis. Bankhead was there and she looked good. She hasn't been there for a few weeks as she is undergoing chemotherapy right now. She said this has been a good week for her, so it was nice that she could be there.

Cousin Brianna was supposed to report her mission today, but her talk was postponed because she had been sick to her stomach all night and Barbara said she was in no condition to speak. Plus her voice was almost gone when we saw her at the baby shower yesterday.

Tiffany called from Pennsylvania and said that she and Angie had gone to Fort McHenry (where the Star Spangled Banner was written) and to the Hampton House National Historical Site. It sounds like she is still having lots of fun.

Fun with the Barretts

Today we got to do some fun things with the Barrets. First, I met up with Lindy, Camden and Riley at Aunt Barbara's this morning for a shower for Cousin Davian and her new little baby, Violet. Camden and Riley got to see the baby and meet lots of cousins and aunts. I sat with them at the "kid table" while we ate our lunch, and we had a good time. They were good eaters and had such good manners. We saw Cousin Brianna, who just got home on Wednesday from her mission to England. She'll be speaking in sacrament meeting at their church tomorrow.

Then later today, Grampa and I went over to tend the girls while Lindy and Nate went to the temple. Riley and Sidney were asleep; so first, we just had fun with Camden for awhile. She and Grampa worked on her math. Then Riley woke up, then Sidney, so we had fun with all three girls. They fixed us lots of food down in the playroom, and then they wanted to show us how they could jump on the jumpoline. They're good jumpers. Sidney liked holding on to the side from the outside and jumping herself. She didn't like it inside the jumpoline unless she was by herself. She fixed some food for Grampa by putting it in the oven, but then she would "eat" it herself before she could give it to Grampa. Riley talked on the phone to her friend Callie. She said that Callie's mom was on the potty reading the newspaper. Then when Grampa and I started to laugh, she felt bad. When Lindy and Nate came home, they brought Arby's for dinner. I had gone over to pick Richard up, so we all had a fun Arby's dinner there together. Then Camden and Riley wanted to play hide 'n' seek for a little while. Riley and I seeked/hid together, and Grampa and Camden seeked/hid together. For the finale, Gramma and Sidney hid and the others looked for us. Sidney didn't like hiding in the dark closet with Gramma, but she thought it was funny once we were found. Then it was time to head home. What a fun evening!

Tiffany called and said she and Angie had been to Hershey Town and had a good time there. Then it's on to Baltimore tomorrow and Fort McHenry. We'll be anxious to hear about all of her fun adventures when she gets back.

"The Funnest Day Ever"

Tiffany called today and said that she was having the "funnest day ever" there in Pennsylvania with Angie. She said they drove around the Gettysberg battle field and went to Little Round Top, a hill which the Union defended successfully during the battle of Gettysberg. She said they had lunch at a fun place where she had a crab cake sandwich and gingerbread with lemon sauce. Yum. I'm jealous. She'll probably tell us all about it when she has a chance to write on her blog; but I was glad to hear from her today and to know that she's having such a good time.

Tiffany Travels to Pennsylvania

Today was Tiffany's trip to Pennsylvania to see Angie. She drove to the train station in Mattoon to catch the 9:30 train to Chicago. Only the train didn't come at 9:30--it was 40 minutes late! That caused her to have some crunch time on the Chicago end of her trip. Once she arrived in Chicago (probably about 1:45), she had to walk four blocks to the CTA station to catch another train to Midway airport. That train ride is about 45 minutes. Fortunately, she had printed off her boarding pass last night, and she didn't have to check a bag, so she made it to her gate on time to catch her 3:10 flight to Baltimore. Whew! That's cutting it close. Angie's dad met her in Baltimore, and drove her to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where Angie is living with her parents while she awaits the birth of her first baby. She left her job at Melrose in Natchez, Mississippi, for a better job in Pennsylvania; unfortunately, her husband, Matt, is still in Vicksburg, Mississippi, trying to sell their home and find a job for himself in Pennsylvania. In the meantime, Tiffany thought it would be fun to take a trip and spend a few days with Angie over the Marin Luther King holiday. So, hopefully, they'll have lots of fun and see lots of interesting things--if the weather isn't too bad. I was checking the weather yesterday on weather.com and the map on the home page (which usually shows where the nasty weather is taking place) showed the area right around Baltimore to Harrisburg. It was showing rain, icy rain, and snow from Baltimore to Harrisburg. The other day the map was showing the tornado areas in Missouri and Illlinois, right where Tiffany was. How come she ends up where the bad weather is? Anyway, she said the drive from Baltimore to Harrisburg was a little snowy but not too bad. We're glad she made it safely and hope she has a great time and a bit of a break from school.

Steven was home for dinner tonight, so that was nice. We had bean burritos. Then later, Bro. Sanders and Talmadge came home teaching. Bro. Sanders gave us a lesson on Pres. Monson's message in the Ensign this month: "The Master Bridge Builder." In this article, Pres. Monson says, "...we are all travelers--even explorers of mortality. We do not have the benefit of previous personal experience. We must pass over steep precipices and turbulent waters in our own journey here on earth." He goes on: "...our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the supreme architect and builder of bridges for you, for me, for all humankind. He has built the bridges over which we must cross if we are to reach our heavenly home." Then he asks, "What personal bridges did He build and cross here in mortality, showing us the way to follow?...(He) provided the bridge of obedience. He was an unfailing example of perssonal obedience as He kept the commandments of His Father...The second bridge provided by the Master for us to cross is the bridge of service. We look to the Savior as our example of service. Although He came to earth as the Son of God, He humbly served those around Him." Pres. Monson quoted Elder Richard L. Evans, who said: "We can't do everything for everyone everywhere, but we can do something for someone somewhere." And finally, "The Lord provided us the bridge of prayer. He directed, 'Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing.'" I thought that was a good lesson and it motivated me to read the article. Sometimes I need to be reminded.