Busy, Busy

Roy Angel and their family are here this week to visit us from California so it has been a busy time getting all of our family together to visit. It is amazing how much nose our eleven grandchildren can make when they are all together in the same house, by this time next year the tally will be thirteen but I don,t think the volume could possibly change.

Our Children went to see the movie "Avatar" last night and we had the opportunity to watch Nathan, Megan and Tyler. We had a good time. It is great to see how they have grown up.

We are taking the grandkids to see the movie "Chance of clouds with some Meatballs" today and then all of us will be going uptown to see the lights on Temple Square. It will be great to see all of our former Missionary friends there. We have not been back to the Square since we finished our mission in November. Ron, Angel and family will be leaving on Wednesday. We will miss them.

warm Las vegas

We went to Las Vegas to get warm, what a great time to go there now, with the recession reducing the demand. We were able to get a suite at the Rio for only $ 40.00 a night. We had a bang up time staying up to at least 8:30 PM every night. It was pretty warm with the temperature in the 60 every day. Sandy was in the 5-10 degree range when we left.

The car was great. The gas mileage was some what reduced by going 80 mph most of the time so I was only able to get 45 miles per gallon for the trip.

The high light of the trip was going to see the Phantom of the Opera. It may have been the first time that I have sat next to Mon for two hours and have her not talk.
We went to all of our usual places. The Belligo living waters was playing the " Hallelujah Chorus" The atrium was decorated with a Christmas Theme as the photos show, all of the displays are made of flowers.

We got home Saturday, so we were here in Sandy for the Christmas Program. It was great. We are now getting ready for this special time of the year with all of the Family Traditions.

getting ready for Christmas

December is here and so are we, at home getting ready for Christmas. The lights are now on the outside of the house. The tree up and looking good. We got a new white tree with the lights already on it, much less work. Our Christmas shopping is almost completed and we are now wrapping all of the presents.

We reported our mission this morning to the Stake High Council. It was really neat to sit in Sacrament Meeting with our family again. Mom went to Choir practice for the first time for almost two years. They are getting ready for the Christmas program. The Ward Christmas Party is this Saturday and today we participated in another Christmas time tradition,"Tithing Settlement".

The new Oquirh Hills Temple is really nice. We did a session Thursday with some of our friends from the Mission. In the last two weeks we have been in the Salt Lake Temple, the Draper Temple two times and the Oquirh Hills Temple. Friday Night we went to Provo to attend "Christmas around the world" a dance program put on by BYU with Lavere and Diane. Mom loved it.

Next week life will slow down maybe.

Our Mission is over, we gave our talks on Sunday, Mom did a great job ( I can call her just Mom again). We ended the talk by singing the Mission Song, an addition to "Called to Serve." We then had some of our friends come over to the house to visit and have treats.

We took some photos of Mom in the Tabernacle doing the pin drop and at the organ. We took a lot of photos on our last day on Temple Square. Mom wanted to have some showing her doing the drop and playing the Organ.

We are going to take a vacation in to Las Vegas in December to get away from the cold. We will be there the week of the 14th and will be staying at the "Rio" which is just off the strip. It is a four star all suite hotel.

The prices for accommodations at Vegas have really dropped. We are paying the same price as if we were staying at the "Virgin River" in Mesquite. I guess the recession has hit the hotels there pretty bad.

We are still adjusting to life as a slower pace. We did a lot of on line shopping today. So much easier to do it that way. Got all of the lights up and are almost ready for the big Elf to come .

Last days

Today was our last Sunday as Missionaries on Temple Square. We were introduced to the crowd, as departing Missionaries before the Tabernacle Choir broadcast. We had our closing interview with the Mission President. Monday will be our last work day on the Square. Tuesday we will turn in our parking passes and keys. We will then will go for a nice dinner at the Holmes house. The Stake President will than come to our house to extend our final release. President Holmes paid sister Glad a great compliment by telling her that he thought that She was the most effective missionary of all of the Senior Couples.

We will go to the transfer conference early Monday morning and will be singing a song that in the tune and format of "My Favorite Things" The last Chorus will be "When the wind blows and the snow flies and I am feeling Cold. I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so Old !!!" written by Elder Glad.

We will be getting ready for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, turkey day on Thursday and then reporting on our Mission in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. We will be busy then getting ready for Christmas and then a January cruse. So I don't think we will be feeling withdrawals unto the middle of January when We will have to decide what we want to do to keep busy.

We have loved our Mission and have lots of stories to share.

park city week

We are serving at the Family Tree at Park City this week. The senior couple stay in an apartment above the Center. We are here to help the Sister Missionaries with the task of helping people who are in Park City, for vacation, get genealogy information. The Church started the visitors center here during the 2002 Olympics.

Sunday we will be back on Temple Square for our last week. The Bishop from our home ward has scheduled Sunday the 29th of November to tell about our mission. Sacrament Meeting will be at 10:50 PM at approx. 8800 south 1700 east in Sandy Utah. We will be home just before Thanksgiving and will be having dinner on Friday to give us time to prepare for it.

I have am still working on the house. Last week I installed a new Sink in the Bathroom and re caulked around the drainboard and the tub and shower enclosure. The house is looking better and better.

We went to dinner at the Spring Chicken Inn at Wanship, Utah. It was a kind of nostalgia trip, when I was little my family use to go there for special times. The freeway has by passed the town now but the restaurant is still there. The food is just as good as I remember it, french fries made from real potatoes and great chicken.

We had a Big Birthday party last week end the house was in bedlam but is was nice to have every one at the house. Tera is now looking quite pregnant. Bruce just finished his application for graduate school. Ben is in the choir for the Hillcrest High School play. Life is still busy

last of october

Today is Halloween. The Mission had a service project at the "This is the Place Heritage Park" for Zone Conference. We worked on building a path with stones from the quarry at Little Cottonwood Canyon, a lot of hard work. We will be passing out candy bars for the trick and treaters that come to our house and watching the U of U football game.

We are having a big Birthday Party on Monday for all of the family that has birthdays at this time of year. Mom has also decided to have a Halloween theme, all of the Kids may be wearing costumes. We will be having pizza and salad.

We had our first snow Tuesday and it has cooled down. Luckily We are serving in side for all of our assignments this transfer.