Dear Family,
First of all, a Happy Birthday to Elizabeth today. We send our love to her.
This has been a fun and full week. It’s hard to believe that New Year’s Day was just this last Tuesday—it seems weeks ago. Monday morning we arose early determined to begin our new schedule. We read and studied our “Come Follow Me” book along with the scriptures and found many new questions and insights.
By 6:30 we were ready for a walk and went exploring in our neighborhood. As we walk it, we get to know a little better where things are and how our apartment fits into the neighborhood. We came back got the worked on some office stuff from home, got the laundry going, cleaned bathrooms and had breakfast. It was only 10 and we felt we were really going to get things accomplished today.
Before going to get the things we needed for the district New Year’s Eve get together, we decided to stop by the office to get some information that Dad needed and for me to do some work on money for the sisters’ dress slacks. When we got there we found the other two office couples there all dressed for the office and working. Ooops! We had assumed that the office would be closed New Year’s Eve just as it had been closed Christmas Eve—wrong. We stayed and worked for an hour or so then left with the other couples to go do our errands. The President had decided to have all the missionaries in a district get together at their church building and have a party from 5-8 so they would be safe and then be able to get home by 9. We brought pizza and doritos and dip and a salad thinking that the missionaries would be bringing more snack type food. At least they had some food for dinner besides sweets. They had a good time playing games and were even good enough to play our traditional Pictionary game. Dad had gotten a board and prepared it so we would have our traditional game. They seemed to enjoy it and we were glad that our 40+ year tradition was kept. It was good to be with the young missionaries and we could see the wisdom of the President asking the senior couples to go to one or more of the district parties.
Tuesday really was a day off and we enjoyed that day—no guilt or red faces today. We got our scripture reading in the morning and then Dad went to the office to work on some of the projects that the President has assigned him and I stayed home and worked on a sewing project for the office couples. I was doing towels with a hot pad holder to hang on the oven door (thanks Joy for the pattern). I wanted to give these to the office couples as their “after Christmas” gift. Dad came home by noon and we had a quick lunch, put the ham in the oven, and then went walking the neighborhood in a different direction and found different entrances into the woods that we often walk. We got home in time to change clothes, pack up the ham and salad for our senior couples get together. We, of course, took the Pictionary board with us.
These seniors had as much fun with this game as we have ever had. The men picked up on the cheating angle pretty fast, but the sisters still won. There was one sister that was pretty competitive. Everyone laughed a lot—enough to have sore sides the next day. What a fun time doing things with good people.
Wednesday we repented and got to the office a little before 8 and worked straight through. It was a long day. It was our turn to clean the office, so we did that and went on home. After dinner Dad worked on WES stuff, and I worked on the reconciliation of the 5 credit cards that we have (office credit cards).
Thursday, I was trying to add a new house to IMOS (church software) so we could pay some application fees and background checks of the missionaries going to live in the apartment complex. I could get the apartment complex entered as a vendor, but the house number wasn’t showing up. I felt like I was up a brick wall getting a simple job done and the office elder in charge of getting the money to the apartment complex asking if I had the check ready yet. A very humbling day for me not being able to do such a simple thing and holding up someone else.
We got a call from our renters telling us that our neighbor Horace Ferranti died. He has been our neighbor for the entire time we have been in our home -1-16-78. His wife Wanda has dementia, so I don’t know what will happen to her.
Friday, I waited until 10 so that I could call Salt Lake and get some help with the house number. They really don’t like us writing checks against a pending vendor, but there is no way that we can wait for the two-three process of getting a vendor approved—we need a check so the apartment complex can make a decision of whether or not they want to lease to us. Anyway, they were able to help me get the house into the system and I was able to get the check for the office elder. What feelings of gratitude I felt for having prayers answered on even the simplest things.
In the afternoon Dad and I took a missionary to the airport who was returning home. This was not as happy of a situation as those in the past have been. This young elder didn’t have a testimony of the gospel and had just been going through the motions for the past year. It made me wonder why his prayers hadn’t been answered and why I get answers. It made me more convinced than ever of the importance of spending quality time in the scriptures each day finding answers to questions and refocusing my desires on the things that the Lord wants me to be focused on. Testimonies can be fragile and must be diligently nurtured to keep them strong enough to weather the storms that come.
Saturday was a day to get things that we just don’t have time to do during the week. I finally got a new battery for my watch; we got some grocery shopping done and got the Christmas stuff put away. One thing I will say for not having many decorations is that it is really fast to get everything put away.
We went to a baptism for the lady that Dad interviewed for baptism and it was well attended. She will have lots of support from the ward members. It is wonderful to go to baptisms and see the glow in the new member’s eyes and their happy smiles.
On the way home we stopped at a grocery store that is pretty famous around here. It had LOTS of cheeses, many kinds of artisan breads, a catering section for banquets, a deli area along with the regular grocery area. It was fun to go and look around—now we can say that we have been there.
We came home and ate some of the bread and cheese that we had gotten at Wegman’s earlier. While eating we watched a movie on netflix called “The Christmas Candle”. It was a really good, uplifting movie and we enjoyed it.
Church started later for us this week. We have gone from 8:30 to 11:30. The one good thing about going a little later is that we get a chance to read a bit before going to church. Today is a beautiful clear day and makes me grateful for a wonderful earth.
We love you lots and think of you always,
Mom
First of all, a Happy Birthday to Elizabeth today. We send our love to her.
This has been a fun and full week. It’s hard to believe that New Year’s Day was just this last Tuesday—it seems weeks ago. Monday morning we arose early determined to begin our new schedule. We read and studied our “Come Follow Me” book along with the scriptures and found many new questions and insights.
By 6:30 we were ready for a walk and went exploring in our neighborhood. As we walk it, we get to know a little better where things are and how our apartment fits into the neighborhood. We came back got the worked on some office stuff from home, got the laundry going, cleaned bathrooms and had breakfast. It was only 10 and we felt we were really going to get things accomplished today.
Before going to get the things we needed for the district New Year’s Eve get together, we decided to stop by the office to get some information that Dad needed and for me to do some work on money for the sisters’ dress slacks. When we got there we found the other two office couples there all dressed for the office and working. Ooops! We had assumed that the office would be closed New Year’s Eve just as it had been closed Christmas Eve—wrong. We stayed and worked for an hour or so then left with the other couples to go do our errands. The President had decided to have all the missionaries in a district get together at their church building and have a party from 5-8 so they would be safe and then be able to get home by 9. We brought pizza and doritos and dip and a salad thinking that the missionaries would be bringing more snack type food. At least they had some food for dinner besides sweets. They had a good time playing games and were even good enough to play our traditional Pictionary game. Dad had gotten a board and prepared it so we would have our traditional game. They seemed to enjoy it and we were glad that our 40+ year tradition was kept. It was good to be with the young missionaries and we could see the wisdom of the President asking the senior couples to go to one or more of the district parties.
Tuesday really was a day off and we enjoyed that day—no guilt or red faces today. We got our scripture reading in the morning and then Dad went to the office to work on some of the projects that the President has assigned him and I stayed home and worked on a sewing project for the office couples. I was doing towels with a hot pad holder to hang on the oven door (thanks Joy for the pattern). I wanted to give these to the office couples as their “after Christmas” gift. Dad came home by noon and we had a quick lunch, put the ham in the oven, and then went walking the neighborhood in a different direction and found different entrances into the woods that we often walk. We got home in time to change clothes, pack up the ham and salad for our senior couples get together. We, of course, took the Pictionary board with us.
These seniors had as much fun with this game as we have ever had. The men picked up on the cheating angle pretty fast, but the sisters still won. There was one sister that was pretty competitive. Everyone laughed a lot—enough to have sore sides the next day. What a fun time doing things with good people.
Wednesday we repented and got to the office a little before 8 and worked straight through. It was a long day. It was our turn to clean the office, so we did that and went on home. After dinner Dad worked on WES stuff, and I worked on the reconciliation of the 5 credit cards that we have (office credit cards).
Thursday, I was trying to add a new house to IMOS (church software) so we could pay some application fees and background checks of the missionaries going to live in the apartment complex. I could get the apartment complex entered as a vendor, but the house number wasn’t showing up. I felt like I was up a brick wall getting a simple job done and the office elder in charge of getting the money to the apartment complex asking if I had the check ready yet. A very humbling day for me not being able to do such a simple thing and holding up someone else.
We got a call from our renters telling us that our neighbor Horace Ferranti died. He has been our neighbor for the entire time we have been in our home -1-16-78. His wife Wanda has dementia, so I don’t know what will happen to her.
Friday, I waited until 10 so that I could call Salt Lake and get some help with the house number. They really don’t like us writing checks against a pending vendor, but there is no way that we can wait for the two-three process of getting a vendor approved—we need a check so the apartment complex can make a decision of whether or not they want to lease to us. Anyway, they were able to help me get the house into the system and I was able to get the check for the office elder. What feelings of gratitude I felt for having prayers answered on even the simplest things.
In the afternoon Dad and I took a missionary to the airport who was returning home. This was not as happy of a situation as those in the past have been. This young elder didn’t have a testimony of the gospel and had just been going through the motions for the past year. It made me wonder why his prayers hadn’t been answered and why I get answers. It made me more convinced than ever of the importance of spending quality time in the scriptures each day finding answers to questions and refocusing my desires on the things that the Lord wants me to be focused on. Testimonies can be fragile and must be diligently nurtured to keep them strong enough to weather the storms that come.
Saturday was a day to get things that we just don’t have time to do during the week. I finally got a new battery for my watch; we got some grocery shopping done and got the Christmas stuff put away. One thing I will say for not having many decorations is that it is really fast to get everything put away.
We went to a baptism for the lady that Dad interviewed for baptism and it was well attended. She will have lots of support from the ward members. It is wonderful to go to baptisms and see the glow in the new member’s eyes and their happy smiles.
On the way home we stopped at a grocery store that is pretty famous around here. It had LOTS of cheeses, many kinds of artisan breads, a catering section for banquets, a deli area along with the regular grocery area. It was fun to go and look around—now we can say that we have been there.
We came home and ate some of the bread and cheese that we had gotten at Wegman’s earlier. While eating we watched a movie on netflix called “The Christmas Candle”. It was a really good, uplifting movie and we enjoyed it.
Church started later for us this week. We have gone from 8:30 to 11:30. The one good thing about going a little later is that we get a chance to read a bit before going to church. Today is a beautiful clear day and makes me grateful for a wonderful earth.
We love you lots and think of you always,
Mom
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| The seniors at the New Year's Day party |
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