Dear Family,
Sorry this is a week late, but I will blame it on Keri and her family. They arrived for a visit on Wednesday and we played/visited over the week end and I didn’t write my letter.
Monday was the usual day at the office. We were, however, trying to get things arranged for some missionaries that were leaving. Dad has to work with Salt Lake to get the travel arrangements made. President Caplin took one of the missionaries to the airport.
Tuesday we worked in the office then about 1:30 we had to go to the Missionary Leadership Council (MLC) meeting to pick up the three remaining missionaries that were leaving. Two of them were visa waiters that had been in our mission since June and were just getting their visas for Bulgaria. The other one was going home for surgery on her hands. I was fun to visit with them on the way to the airport, then go in with them to make sure that all of the charges had been taken care of. We dropped the one missionary off first, and while waiting for the luggage to get weighed, the sister missionary going to Bulgaria struck up a conversation with a gentleman behind the counter about our badges. I just stood there amazed at how well these missionaries handle themselves. After getting the luggage checked in we walked the departing sister to the security check point. On our way back from the security, the gentleman came up to us and continued the conversation with our Bulgarian missionary. Before we left the airport, she had his phone number and address so she could pass it along to the missionaries in the area where lives. I thought to myself, I should be as forward as she was in sharing the gospel.
The we went to drop off the elder and sister going to Bulgaria. We will miss them.
We went back to the office to get more things done, but I had to take some things home to finish up. It is nice that I can get on the Church website at home. Sometimes I get more done there because there are fewer interruptions. Doing that also gives me a little head start for the next day.
Wednesday was a fun day. Keri and McKay and girls were coming. We worked really fast and hard and left a little early (3:30) to go get Elizabeth and Maggie. It was fun that Elizabeth still remembered us but Maggie was a little shy. On the way home we stopped at a fun grocery store (Wegmens) to show McKay all of the fun cheeses. We also bought a couple of fancy artisan breads to go with our tortellini soup. Afterwards Elizabeth helped me bake Keri’s birthday cake and it was so much fun to have a helper again. I miss helpers.
It was an early night for bed. Although they were still on Mountain Standard Time, the girls were tired from the travel and lack of naps. The rest of us visited a little then went to bed because there was an early morning on Thursday.
The kids were taking the train that is right by our house into Washington, D.C. and the last train of the morning arrives at 8:15 a.m. We dropped them off and then went on into the office. I left about 10:15 to go the Sisters’ Conference. All of the senior missionary sisters had made soup for the event and were going to help where ever needed. We had a large group picture taken with all of the sister missionaries, senior missionary sisters, and President and Sister Caplin. Then came the etiquette lesson by one of the senior missionary sisters and she did a great job. She was informative without being preachy. After getting the lesson, we at lunch (a little self consciously I might add) and then went into the chapel for a program. Sister Caplin is a great musician and has even played some of the organs in Europe, so she makes sure that we have music at all of our meetings and is so good to let lots of different people participate. Both President and Sister Caplin spoke and they did a wonderful job. I came away from the meeting with a strengthened testimony of our Father in Heaven’s love for us. Sister Caplin talked of the importance of putting on the whole armor of God and gave the sisters a replica of a pencil drawing that she had her daughter-in-law do for her. It is a picture of a young woman sitting and putting on armor. Over the top of the picture is a piece of velum with the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants telling us to put on the whole armor of God. It was a wonderful day for the sisters to be taught and to be together as a whole group. They don’t get to be together very often. Many of the senior missionary sisters think that the elders need a day to be told how good they are and how much Heavenly Father loves them and to even let the senior sisters pamper them a little with a nice luncheon—maybe even a lesson on etiquette would be useful to them. I left after helping to clean up the food, but before they finished with clothes swap so that I could get back to the office to get a few things done before Keri and McKay got back.
They got back before Dad could get home, so after all of the walking (about 9 miles or so) they did in D.C. they walked home. If they hadn’t taken a wrong turn, they would have beaten Dad to our place. I finished up the important things at the office and Dad came to get me. We had left overs because they were fast and everyone was tired and hungry from their big day in the city. We also had to have time to have Elizabeth help me frost Keri’s birthday cake and put the sprinkles on it. Elizabeth put the “3” and “0” candles on the cake—in a couple of places before she was satisfied with their location. We lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday and then Elizabeth helped her mom blow out the candles. What a fun day for us.
Friday we took asked President Caplin if we could spend the day with our visiting children, so we got to ride the train into D.C. It was an early morning and the little girls were a bit tired. We visited the Space and Air Museum and were impressed that Wilber and Orville Wright ever got the airplane off the ground and how far we have come in air travel. The museum was under construction so many places weren’t open and it was filled with bus loads of school children. It was fun to be able to get so up close and personal with some of the exhibits. From there we went to the Capitol and I was SO amazed at how large and ornate the capitol building was. It was kind of fun to sit in the House of Representatives chambers and realize that is where the State of the Union is given. This is where so many laws are discussed and made. We walked by the old Supreme Court room. It has its own building now, but nice to see and feel the history. Statuary Hall had Brigham Young in it and it was good to see him recognized. We moved through this pretty fast, so it would be nice to go back and see some of the things that I missed. We went to the Library of Congress next and looked at the baseball exhibit. We also saw Thomas Jefferson’s library—pretty impressive for that many years ago when books were much harder to come by. Then we raced back to catch the train home. We got home pretty tired, but happy and grateful for the country Heavenly Father prepared for us. I had to go into the office to get something for the President and then we came home to play games with Keri and McKay.
Saturday we drove to Washington, D.C. and while Keri and McKay went to the Holocaust Museum Dad and I took the little girls to the American History Museum because we knew that there was a play area in the basement where the girls could play. Maggie went to sleep in her stroller, so she slept while Elizabeth played on the slide and in the kitchen. The fun thing about the kitchen was that the pretend food had the weight of real food rather than just the light weight of plastic food. After playing for a while we went to the lunch room and ate our sack lunch.
We met up with Keri and McKay, checked the parking sticker on the car, then went to see the Viet Nam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We also got to see the statute of Einstein and take pictures on it. From here we went to dinner at a restaurant that had been recommended to Keri. It must have been good because it was packed and we had to wait for seats. The food didn’t sit well for McKay and he ended up getting sick, so I don’t know if we will try that restaurant again.
Sunday we went to Church with Keri and the girls while McKay rested at home. We went to Arlington Cemetery where McKay has relatives buried and then walked through the cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dad was cold, so he took Maggie back to the car to warm up. Keri, McKay, Elizabeth and I went on up to the tomb. Since we got there for the last changing of the guard and very close to closing time of the cemetery it was a shorter version. They eliminated the portion where they put wreaths at the front on the tomb. It was probably good because it started to rain and it was just about the right length for Elizabeth. After watching the guards walk so precisely and click their heels so precisely, she tried to copy it.
All too soon, it was Monday and the last day of their visit. We went to the office (if we would have known that the internet would be down for so long we might have gone with them) and they were going back to Washington to see the National Archives and really enjoyed that. They were lucky enough to get a parking place right across the street from the Archives so had little walking to do. They went to Mount Vernon afterwards and were able to get in free because it was his Birthday. We left work a little early—4:00—to go and get dinner ready so they could come home to a ready dinner. After getting the girls to bed, we played a game for a little bit. Keri was so sure that I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was just trying to play with her mind and I really had her mixed up. Oh, am I so clever!!! They packed and did laundry and then we went to bed because they had an early flight. All too soon the fun was over.
I will finish this week’s events in a new letter since this is a new week.
Love you lots and pray for you daily,
Mom
It's late and the pictures are giving me problems. You will get them with the next letter.
Sorry this is a week late, but I will blame it on Keri and her family. They arrived for a visit on Wednesday and we played/visited over the week end and I didn’t write my letter.
Monday was the usual day at the office. We were, however, trying to get things arranged for some missionaries that were leaving. Dad has to work with Salt Lake to get the travel arrangements made. President Caplin took one of the missionaries to the airport.
Tuesday we worked in the office then about 1:30 we had to go to the Missionary Leadership Council (MLC) meeting to pick up the three remaining missionaries that were leaving. Two of them were visa waiters that had been in our mission since June and were just getting their visas for Bulgaria. The other one was going home for surgery on her hands. I was fun to visit with them on the way to the airport, then go in with them to make sure that all of the charges had been taken care of. We dropped the one missionary off first, and while waiting for the luggage to get weighed, the sister missionary going to Bulgaria struck up a conversation with a gentleman behind the counter about our badges. I just stood there amazed at how well these missionaries handle themselves. After getting the luggage checked in we walked the departing sister to the security check point. On our way back from the security, the gentleman came up to us and continued the conversation with our Bulgarian missionary. Before we left the airport, she had his phone number and address so she could pass it along to the missionaries in the area where lives. I thought to myself, I should be as forward as she was in sharing the gospel.
The we went to drop off the elder and sister going to Bulgaria. We will miss them.
We went back to the office to get more things done, but I had to take some things home to finish up. It is nice that I can get on the Church website at home. Sometimes I get more done there because there are fewer interruptions. Doing that also gives me a little head start for the next day.
Wednesday was a fun day. Keri and McKay and girls were coming. We worked really fast and hard and left a little early (3:30) to go get Elizabeth and Maggie. It was fun that Elizabeth still remembered us but Maggie was a little shy. On the way home we stopped at a fun grocery store (Wegmens) to show McKay all of the fun cheeses. We also bought a couple of fancy artisan breads to go with our tortellini soup. Afterwards Elizabeth helped me bake Keri’s birthday cake and it was so much fun to have a helper again. I miss helpers.
It was an early night for bed. Although they were still on Mountain Standard Time, the girls were tired from the travel and lack of naps. The rest of us visited a little then went to bed because there was an early morning on Thursday.
The kids were taking the train that is right by our house into Washington, D.C. and the last train of the morning arrives at 8:15 a.m. We dropped them off and then went on into the office. I left about 10:15 to go the Sisters’ Conference. All of the senior missionary sisters had made soup for the event and were going to help where ever needed. We had a large group picture taken with all of the sister missionaries, senior missionary sisters, and President and Sister Caplin. Then came the etiquette lesson by one of the senior missionary sisters and she did a great job. She was informative without being preachy. After getting the lesson, we at lunch (a little self consciously I might add) and then went into the chapel for a program. Sister Caplin is a great musician and has even played some of the organs in Europe, so she makes sure that we have music at all of our meetings and is so good to let lots of different people participate. Both President and Sister Caplin spoke and they did a wonderful job. I came away from the meeting with a strengthened testimony of our Father in Heaven’s love for us. Sister Caplin talked of the importance of putting on the whole armor of God and gave the sisters a replica of a pencil drawing that she had her daughter-in-law do for her. It is a picture of a young woman sitting and putting on armor. Over the top of the picture is a piece of velum with the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants telling us to put on the whole armor of God. It was a wonderful day for the sisters to be taught and to be together as a whole group. They don’t get to be together very often. Many of the senior missionary sisters think that the elders need a day to be told how good they are and how much Heavenly Father loves them and to even let the senior sisters pamper them a little with a nice luncheon—maybe even a lesson on etiquette would be useful to them. I left after helping to clean up the food, but before they finished with clothes swap so that I could get back to the office to get a few things done before Keri and McKay got back.
They got back before Dad could get home, so after all of the walking (about 9 miles or so) they did in D.C. they walked home. If they hadn’t taken a wrong turn, they would have beaten Dad to our place. I finished up the important things at the office and Dad came to get me. We had left overs because they were fast and everyone was tired and hungry from their big day in the city. We also had to have time to have Elizabeth help me frost Keri’s birthday cake and put the sprinkles on it. Elizabeth put the “3” and “0” candles on the cake—in a couple of places before she was satisfied with their location. We lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday and then Elizabeth helped her mom blow out the candles. What a fun day for us.
Friday we took asked President Caplin if we could spend the day with our visiting children, so we got to ride the train into D.C. It was an early morning and the little girls were a bit tired. We visited the Space and Air Museum and were impressed that Wilber and Orville Wright ever got the airplane off the ground and how far we have come in air travel. The museum was under construction so many places weren’t open and it was filled with bus loads of school children. It was fun to be able to get so up close and personal with some of the exhibits. From there we went to the Capitol and I was SO amazed at how large and ornate the capitol building was. It was kind of fun to sit in the House of Representatives chambers and realize that is where the State of the Union is given. This is where so many laws are discussed and made. We walked by the old Supreme Court room. It has its own building now, but nice to see and feel the history. Statuary Hall had Brigham Young in it and it was good to see him recognized. We moved through this pretty fast, so it would be nice to go back and see some of the things that I missed. We went to the Library of Congress next and looked at the baseball exhibit. We also saw Thomas Jefferson’s library—pretty impressive for that many years ago when books were much harder to come by. Then we raced back to catch the train home. We got home pretty tired, but happy and grateful for the country Heavenly Father prepared for us. I had to go into the office to get something for the President and then we came home to play games with Keri and McKay.
Saturday we drove to Washington, D.C. and while Keri and McKay went to the Holocaust Museum Dad and I took the little girls to the American History Museum because we knew that there was a play area in the basement where the girls could play. Maggie went to sleep in her stroller, so she slept while Elizabeth played on the slide and in the kitchen. The fun thing about the kitchen was that the pretend food had the weight of real food rather than just the light weight of plastic food. After playing for a while we went to the lunch room and ate our sack lunch.
We met up with Keri and McKay, checked the parking sticker on the car, then went to see the Viet Nam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We also got to see the statute of Einstein and take pictures on it. From here we went to dinner at a restaurant that had been recommended to Keri. It must have been good because it was packed and we had to wait for seats. The food didn’t sit well for McKay and he ended up getting sick, so I don’t know if we will try that restaurant again.
Sunday we went to Church with Keri and the girls while McKay rested at home. We went to Arlington Cemetery where McKay has relatives buried and then walked through the cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dad was cold, so he took Maggie back to the car to warm up. Keri, McKay, Elizabeth and I went on up to the tomb. Since we got there for the last changing of the guard and very close to closing time of the cemetery it was a shorter version. They eliminated the portion where they put wreaths at the front on the tomb. It was probably good because it started to rain and it was just about the right length for Elizabeth. After watching the guards walk so precisely and click their heels so precisely, she tried to copy it.
All too soon, it was Monday and the last day of their visit. We went to the office (if we would have known that the internet would be down for so long we might have gone with them) and they were going back to Washington to see the National Archives and really enjoyed that. They were lucky enough to get a parking place right across the street from the Archives so had little walking to do. They went to Mount Vernon afterwards and were able to get in free because it was his Birthday. We left work a little early—4:00—to go and get dinner ready so they could come home to a ready dinner. After getting the girls to bed, we played a game for a little bit. Keri was so sure that I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was just trying to play with her mind and I really had her mixed up. Oh, am I so clever!!! They packed and did laundry and then we went to bed because they had an early flight. All too soon the fun was over.
I will finish this week’s events in a new letter since this is a new week.
Love you lots and pray for you daily,
Mom
It's late and the pictures are giving me problems. You will get them with the next letter.
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