April 10th through April 15th

April 10^th through April 15^th:  Thursday, I dropped mom off at Kate’s house at 8:00am.  She is going to tend for the day because Kate is in charge of the Parental Defense Conference in Park City.  I got to James’ house just before 9:00am and unloaded my tools, then went to Home Depot to buy the redwood to build 2-eight foot picnic tables for his deck.  I got back to his house about 10:00am and he said, “It should only take a couple of hours, right?”  Well 10 hours later we are finishing up his two tables and 4 benches.  I got home at just before 9:00pm.   A long day, but now they have picnic tables for Rigby’s birthday party on Saturday. 

James has a really big deck.

James and his kids.  One table down one to go.

Emme and Rigby like the tables.

Friday, I installed 4 can lights in the office upstairs and 7 cans, 5 new ones and replaced 2 old ones, in the front room.  It was my day to be an electrician.  It is such a dirty, nasty job.  Cutting the holes in the ceiling and then fishing wires and breathing sheet rock dust and insulation all day long is really not much fun at all. 

New office can lights.

The holes are cut and the wire pulled just have to install the cans.

Ginny, Sam, Xela and Willa flew into town for the weekend.  We have lots of things going on this weekend.  Saturday, we started off at 8:00 am at the state capitol for family pictures.  Everyone had gotten new clothes and matched so well.  Thanks Jamie Christensen Morse for working so hard to get all the families shot and then the big group of us, 27 in all now.  It took a couple of hours to get all the pictures taken. 

Family Picture Day.

Nana and Papa and the 15 best grand-kids in the world.

My sons, James and John the sons of thunder.

We then took everybody that wanted to go, to Betos for breakfast burritos.  Yum so good. 

Betos

Then we went to Fiz for dirty diet cokes or whatever you wanted. 

John's family at Fiz.

We all met at the new Aquarium in Draper for Rigby’s pirate birthday party.  You had to come dressed as a pirate.

Rigby is the birthday boy.

Inside the aquarium.

Evan, Moose and Badger.

In the tunnel.

Luke and Dad, Alex.

After the aquarium, we went to James’ for pizza and birthday cake on the deck with the 2 new picnic tables.  The kids had a wild time with the piñata and then played Zombie tag. 

Rigby about to blow out his candles.

Sunday, we spoke in church and gave our farewell talks.  Included in the sacrament meeting was the blessing of our newest granddaughter, Tilda Beth McBean and a home coming of a missionary who had served in the Philippines.  We had talked our Sunday school class of 12 and 13 year olds into sing also.  Mom spoke first and then it was my turn.  We kept our talks short, but they still had a nice message and the Spirit was strong.  Our Sunday school class was awesome. 

Our Sunday School Class practicing before sacrament meeting.

http://youtu.be/tQjIV83kUco

Our Sunday school class practicing.

The returned missionary had 20 minutes and we got out 10 minutes late.  Not bad, right? But, we did start 5 minutes early.  Then it was off to a mini-cousins’ reunion and good- bye party for Chris and I at the home of John and Courtney Brown in Bluffdale.  About 60 people came and it was fun to see so many of my nieces and nephews and their kids. 

My siblings L to R Tad, Van, Alice and me.

The cousins reunion and the cousins eating crickets.

Monday, we went with Ginny and Sam and their 2 girls to the children’s museum. 

The wind tunnel.

The Helicopter.

We had lunch and we dropped them off at the airport. 

Lunch at Gateway.

We next headed to Nephi so I could go to court and talk to the judge.  After listening to my story of what had happened, the judge dismissed the ticket and as I left the court room I said, “I hope that it gets recorded correctly this time.”  I hope I can go on our mission without an arrest warrant out there for me.  Tuesday, both Chris and I went to work painting at the molding job.  I got the ceilings in the office and bedroom upstairs painted and Chris taped off and cut in some of the rooms downstairs.  I got the walls painted in 2 of the bedrooms downstairs. The carpet guys are coming on Saturday so I have to get everything painted where the carpet is going to go.  I feel a little stressed out.   We had to take a break and go to the Mexican Consulate and get our visas.  Another couple was ahead of us and I heard him say that he had served his mission in the Peru and Ecuador mission.  I knew that he had to have been there either just before us or maybe for some of the same time.  Sure enough, he left about 6 months after I had arrived.  His name is Elder Watkins.  I remember the name and he knew many of the Elders I remember.  One sad thing was he said that Jerry Goodman had passed away of problems with his liver about a year ago.  He was my first companion and a really good missionary.  It is such a small world.  Elder Watkins and his wife are going to the Tampico, Mexico mission.  Their ex-stake president is the mission president and they were recruited.  We are excited to get to the mission field.