April 30th through May 6th:

April 30^th through May 6^th:  Wednesday, Mom had taken Front Runner down to James’ house Tuesday night so she could be there early the next morning and stay with Emme while James and Kirstin took Rigby to have tubes put in his ears.  Everything went well and I picked Mom up at the train stop in Woods Cross about 1:15pm.  I had spent the morning doing errands.  It was Chris’ birthday and I had cards made up with all our information on them (Oaxaca address, emails) for her to give to people we want to stay in touch with.  This was one of the things she had said she wanted.  We went to dinner with Lee and Connie and Lynn and Diane Crayk.  It was nice to see them one last time before we leave.  They had just gotten back from a trip to Thailand and Bali.  Lee knows President Atkinson and assures us we will like him and his wife and that they are good people and that we will have a good time with them.  We are excited to serve with them.

L to R Lee, Connie, Diane, Lynn Crayk and mom and I.

Thursday, I built the cabinet that Katie had asked me to build.  It is just a box that they can put their TV on and have space under the TV for a DVD player and stuff. 

The box for the Kate's TV.

I also got a couple of more things done on John’s punch list.  Friday, I was back at Rigby’s house to try and finish up a few things.  I worked all day and we then went to dinner with old friends, Bill and Sue Thurman, from our ward on the avenues.   It was really nice to catch up with them.  I was their home teacher for a number of years and we have great memories of the neighborhood. 

L to R Bill and Sue Thurman and mom and I.

Saturday, I got up early and went to the temple.  I have not made it to the temple every week since quitting Home Depot and working everyday at Rigby’s.  I need to repent and I think I will make it to the temple every week for at least the next 18 months.  I got some of my tools organized in John’s garage.  I drove Jill and Ellie to Ellie’s soccer game and I took Moose to his game. 

Papa and Moose at his soccer game.

We then got cleaned up and went to dinner with Doug Thayne and his wife Sherrie.  We had a great dinner at Little America and even better conversation.  Doug is an old missionary companion of ours from our mission to Ecuador, oh so many years ago. He was a great missionary 43 years ago and he is still a valued friend. 

L to R  Me, Chris, Doug and Sherrie Thayne.

We bought a chuck roast on the way home.  Sunday, was our last day to teach our Sunday school class.  We had a short testimony meeting at the end of class and it was good to bear our testimonies one last time.  I got a little emotional, but what’s new?  We had been fasting for Richard, one of Chris’ nephews who had a tragic accident in his chemistry lab.  A beaker was mislabeled and he was washing it and it exploded and he might lose sight in both his eyes.  He has a young family and we pray for him.  We had our last roast with mash potatoes and gravy dinner.  It was delicious.   Monday, I went back to Rigby’s for 5 hours and finished the last of the things they needed me to do.  They are going to hire a painter to paint the walls I did not get done.  I then met mom, Kirstin and her two kids, and Charlotte and three of her kids at the food court at City Creek.  Mom had taken Front Runner down to Lehi and met Kirstin and then rode the train back to Salt Lake with Rigby.  He wanted to go on a train ride and he was so excited. 

Rigby and Mom getting ready to ride Front Runner.

Rigby on the train.

We had lunch and watched the kidos play in the playland they have there.

Food Court fun.

Luke, play-land fun.

Emme, play-land fun.

Miles, play-land fun.

Rigby, play-land fun.

Mom and I stayed in Salt Lake and shopped.  I got a new pair of white shoes.  Little by little I have got my clothes pretty much packed.  Mom on the other hand needs to get serious about packing.  Tuesday, I went back to Rigby’s and cleaned up my tools and caulked the back patio door on the outside.  I then got all my tools stored in John’s garage.  Mom gave me a haircut and we got ready and went to the Salt Lake temple.  We met my two brothers and their wives to do sealings.  Maude, Van’s wife, has been working on Norman cousins and extended Swedish lines.  We were delighted when the sealer was a cousin to Tove, Tad’s wife.  He could pronounce all the names correctly and it was a very lovely time.  We did a stack of names about 2 inches thick.  We then went to dinner together.  Van chose a restaurant that they like, Eva.  It is kind of a Tapa bar, where you order a lot of small plates of really delicious things.  I think we had about 20 different dishes.  It was a wonderful evening and so fun to be with my brothers and their wives one last time before we leave.  We check into the Radisson in 3 days now.  Can’t wait to get going!

L to R  Mom, my brother Van, his wife Maude, Tove and her husband Tad my oldest brother.

April 23rd to April 29

 April 23^rd to April 29:  Wednesday, Mom took at job at Northwest Middle School and I worked on getting all the hardware off the doors and I got the first coat of paint on one side of the doors.  After work, mom took front runner down to Lehi, to tend James’ kids.  James and Kirstin went on a little trip so she will be there till Friday. 

Door all lined up ready for painting.

Door all lined up ready for painting.

Thursday, I got all the doors painted with 2 coats on both sides.   Friday, Blake helped me hang doors.  We installed new hinges and door handles and got the doors hung.  Some of them will have to be cut down because the carpet is a lot thicker and the doors rub on the carpet.   I also got the ceiling in the front room painted.  It is about a 13 foot ceiling and when I got done my neck and shoulders were really hurting from looking up so much and holding a roller on an extra long extension pole.  The added weight of the pole really made it a workout.  Mom took Luke for his birthday outing.  So I met them and Jake at Lindsey Gardens for lunch. 

Lunch with Luke and Jake.

I had to hurry to John’s house to tend kids so they could go to the temple while mom was tending Charlotte’s kids while Alex and Charlotte went to the temple.  Saturday, Mom asked me to make my beef and bean burritos for Sunday dinner with everyone coming.  So I started cooking the pinto beans for the refried beans I would need.  I took Luke to his soccer game.  It was raining pretty hard and so when Alex showed up about half way through, I left them to get wet.  I got the kitchen cabinet doors in John’s house fixed and got a few things purchased for the rest of his punch list.  Mom went to a brunch with all her cousins and their daughters on her mother’s side of the family. 

The cousins and Aunt Deanee.

In the evening I went to Stake Conference with Charlotte and Alex.  Dean Hodson from our old ward on the avenues was one of the speakers.  He is the first counselor in the mission presidency.  I went up and talked to him for a few minutes.  It was fun to see an old friend.  Sunday morning I started cooking early and got the refried beans and the enchilada sauce made. It was regional stake conference and was broadcast from the conference center.  Elder Whitney Clayton conducted and Elder Neil L. Anderson presided.  It was a good meeting.  After conference I finished up my burritos/enchiladas. 

Burritos / Enchiladas

We had a great get together with all our children and grandchildren who live here in Utah. 

Dinner was a success.

  We celebrated Chris’s birthday.

Singing to Mom.

I think she gets her wish.

Mom's birthday present.

We played some CEO after dinner.  Good times.  Monday, I met Blake at John’s house and we loaded up John’s table saw into Blake’s pickup truck.  We are going to have to cut down all the doors that rub the carpet.  Blake and Michelle had their grand piano moved out of the upstairs bathroom, where it had been for the last 3 months, so that I could get the baseboard changed out.  Blake helped me get all the doors cut off and then we sanded any of the doors that were too tight because of the added layers of paint.  Maybe we sanded 10 doors and cut down about 14.  I got all the baseboards in the bathroom done and the ceiling in the front room touched up and finished up a couple of doors that we didn’t have the hardware for last Friday.  Mom gave the Family Home Evening lesson on the anchor in our lives (the gospel of Jesus Christ) and the chain (keeping the commandments and serving others) that connects us to our anchor to Charlotte’s family.  Then I pulled all of her boys down the stairs and yes, we stopped when someone got hurt and was crying. They beg me to play this game with them, but I don’t know why.  I then drove the truck to John’s to unload the table saw.  Tuesday, I started at 6:30am and Chris came into help with the last little bit of painting on the trim.  I got the cabinet doors painted and the molding in the last bathroom puttied and caulked and then Chris and I got all the trim painted upstairs that I had left because we were concentrating on the rooms that would get carpet. It looks like I won’t get everything done.  Blake and Michelle will have a few rooms that will need have their walls painted, but pretty much everything they needed me to do is done.  Van came and took us to lunch at La Frontera, trying to get us ready for Mexico.  10 day to go we can’t wait.