Losing My Boss

My boss, Vice President Garth Hall, has been called as a mission president. I have know since November, but now it is official. On Firday, January 15, their announcement was in the online Church News. He had to scramble because he had not told anyone in the office. In fact, Sharon had not told her family. Anyhow, the cat was out of the bag and everyone in the world knew now. On January 25, they received notice that they would need a passport and they begin the process. Well, Sharon call SLC and asked about it and the person on the phone with her told her that their name was on the list needing a passport. Today, January 27, they were told that their mission call had been FedEx'd overnight to them. So they are expecite to know where they are going tomorrow sometime. Our council is having dinner at their home on Saturday evening and I am sure we will find out then, if not earlier.

This is a bit of a scary time. I have no idea who will be taking his place. There is speculation that it will be Henry Eying. I really hope that will not be the case but we'll see. I don't think he will leave until end of May, early June. I think it will depend on where he is going as to when he will retire. Until then, we'll pause and hope the call will be good for him and Sharon.

Sad Day

On January 21, Mindi had a miscarriage. What a sad day for them, and for all of us. We all know these things happen for a reason but the heart still aches. Mindi's friend took some new pictures of Reese and they are so precious. Hard things happen in this life. We can only hope we can cope and learn from these life's experiences.

Reflection

I loved this story listed below. It reminded me of my growing up and my family. It reminded me of how my mother always kept in contact with friends and family. I only hope I can be more like my mother and father. And that, one day, my children will want to be more like me.

"I grew up in the 40's/50's with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. > Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it... it's best we love it.... And care for it... And fix it when it's broken........ And heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage..... And old cars.... And children with bad report cards..... And dogs with bad hips.... And aging parents..... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special....... And so, we keep them close!"

January 6, 2010
On December 24, Craig and I left for Christmas in Utah. Brady and Erika arrived in Utah on Tuesday evening, December 22. Mindi was a gracious host and they did some fun things together but we just couldn’t go that early. It was fun getting there on Christmas Eve afternoon. We went to Jen’s house first to drop off the presents for their family. However, Christmas Eve was at Mindi’s. We enjoyed Mindi’s homemade cinnamon rolls, opening one present, sprinkling Christmas dust and trying to read some scriptures. It can be a bit challenging with three little children but it was fun.

It was so great to be with the kids. Reese continues to grow up and change and become more and more a little girl and not a baby. Kenndi and Crew are as cute as can be. I am going to include a section from Brady’s blog to tell the story of Kenndi’s doctor appointment.
“Kennedi is getting bigger and bigger, and cuter and cuter. Even at 4 months, she only weighs 13 pounds. That is only 3 pounds bigger than Crew was born at. She is such an angel and has the cutest smile. On a side note, there is a story I need to tell you. While Erika and I were in Utah, last week, Kennedi had a very rough night and could not sleep. When morning finally came, Erika and I were both exhausted. We knew that something must be wrong with Kenndi and decided that we needed to take her to the hospital. The only problem was that being in Utah, Kennedi's medicade would not cover her. If you think about it, the whole reason Kennedi is even on Medicare, is because Erika and I are dirt poor students. So a 150 dollar trip to the doctor is no small thing. But after much deliberation and many phone calls to various hospitals and urgent cares, we decided we had to take her in regardless of the cost ($100 - $150 as quoted by several places we called). Well we ultimately decided to go to my sisters doctor since he was a pediatrician and it wouldn't cost any more than the urgent care. Well it turned out that Kennedi had an ear infection. At the end of her appointment, the doctor looked at us and said "I have decided that I will not charge you for this visit. Sitting here talking to you it just doesn't feel right to charge you." It was a very touching gesture, and very unexpected. Erika even broke out into tears in the waiting room after. Right before the doctor said this we had been discussing books and which ones were our favorites. I had mentioned that Les Miserable was one of my favorite books. The doctor replied that is was one of his as well, and one that he reads every year. His gesture of kindness reminded me of the unexpected act of mercy and kindness the bishop in Les Miserable did for Jean Valjean. This kind act has reminded me that there are still Christlike people out there in the world, and Doctor Winn is one of them. Thank you doctor Winn.On a different note, today as I was putting Crew down for his nap, I started scratching his head. He seemed to really like it. He would close his eyes occasionally only to reopen them and stare at me. When I stopped, Crew reached over and started to scratch my head. We both looked at each other, and Crew smiled. A moment later he was asleep and snoring. What a precious moment.”
I don’t think I could have told the story any better. Brady and Erika were truly blessed and watched over. To people like Dr. Winn, I give thanks for his generosity and his great example.
On Monday, December 28, we all went to the Dinosaur Museum. Craig did not feel very good with his back but he was a trooper. It is a really great museum and is built with kids in mind. I wasn’t sure if Reese would get into this whole thing but she really did. She and Crew seemed to enjoy every minute. Jen, Mycol and Riley went with us and it was fun to spend the day with them. We had such a good time at the museum. Afterwards, we went for a hamburger and it tasted really great. I’m not sure if I was just really hungry or if it was that good. I know it was past lunchtime for the kids, especially Reese. She devoured the french fries. Reese, Kenndi and Crew were so much fun to be around. Kenndi is a sweet, calm and beautiful baby. She looks just like Brady to me. I have looked up some past pictures of the kids when they were young. I found a picture of Mindi as a baby and Kenndi looks a lot like her. I am truly blessed with wonderful and beautiful grand children.

On Monday evening, Craig’s brothers and sisters got together for dinner at Dana’s. It was a good evening until the conversation turned to health care and Obama. Dana, MoNene and especially Su got kind of worked up over politics. I kept trying to change the subject back to reporting how everyone’s family was doing but it didn’t work. It was good to see them and catch up a litte. We left early so we could be with the kids before they went to bed.
Brady left at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday December 29th. Craig and I left about 9:00 so we could have time to stop and see Gene and Joeleen. It had begun to snow and there were accidents everywhere. We ended up with great roads once we got to about Far West. We were very glad to get home.

New Year’s was normal. I took that whole week off and it was great. I got the Christmas decorations down and put away, the shrunk all cleaned and polished, some closets cleaned and drawers cleaned out. It was very refreshing and rejuvinating for me.
I fogot to mention earlier that in the middle of December, Craig passed his national facility manager test. He is now nationally certified and got a pay raise effective immediately. We are grateful for the heavenly help he received. He had to take the test in Pocatello at 8:00 a.m. However, we also feel bad because some of the other FM’s have not passed the test. He has 2 ½ years left to work and this will help towards our retirement and social security. I am very proud of him. He studied hard and has always been a good provider for the family.
I changed Primary teaching positions on Sunday, January 3. I will now teach the 8 year olds. It was a challenge for me. There were only 4 there but still it was hard. When I walked back into Primary, my Sunbeams were all sitting together and I felt my heart strings being pulled. When I started with them it was such an adjustment. However, in the end I loved them all.
Monday, January 4, it was back to work and here I am. Actually, it was good to be back to work. I know I work better on a schedule and routine. I am also grateful for my job and all that goes with it. I will miss Garth when he leaves this summer to be a mission president. There is always a certain fear in what the future may be.

Mindi is on KSL, Studio 5, today (January 6). This is her second time on their show demonstrating recipes. She loves doing this and hopefully more people will log onto her website. The more people that log on, the more funds she gets. It’s her way of earning a bit of money from her website.