BEDNAR, BAKERSFIELD, AND A BAPTISM HIGHLIGHT THIS MONTH

I must begin this post with the special visit we had, at our sacrament meeting, by Elder Bednar.  I guess this is a typical happening every few months in our ward since the Bednars built a home in the Crossings at Lake Creek. It was the first time it had happened since we returned home from Moscow and we were so spiritually impressed. After the two scheduled speakers gave their talks, Elder Bednar got up and began to speak. He talked about receiving magnificent signs from heaven and answered the question about why most of us are not opportunity to have them manifest to us. In a nutshell, he said it was because we didn't need them. The Lord is confident in our testimony which stands without seeing signs from heaven. He applauded us for our faith and service in the Lord's kingdom.  It was a powerful message but even more powerful was what followed. The chorister got up and led the closings song.  As we all sang the words, we recognized that the message of the song perfectly paralleled Elder Bednar's words.  After we finished the song, Elder Bednar got up and said he has not requested that song but that it had been one of those little miracles from the Lord. (In fact, that song had been chosen weeks prior to his visit and there is no prior notice of when he will be visiting.)  Elder Bednar requested we sing the song again, knowing what we now knew.  It was sung with tears in our voices.  After sacrament meeting, it was our understanding that Elder and Sister Bednar went into the Gospel Doctrine class and answered questions about being an apostle.  The lesson was on the calling of an apostle. (We were teaching primary.)  We are going to love having them in our ward.

Bednar's visit was at the beginning of this month and the end was capped off with a trip to Las Vegas, a visit to Bakersfield to see my Dad and Mom, and taking part in Lydia's baptism in Oregon. We spent a week in Las Vegas attending the WWC basketball tournament. It was a lot of basketball but fun to see the BYU women's team take the tournament championship and the men's team play in the championship game, even though they lost.  We appreciated all the sunshine and the relaxing time between games. We went to a buffet and a show one night before the tournament started.  We saw 'Show Stoppers', an performance of singing and dancing to famous Broadway songs. Very entertaining. The next day, we attended a session in the Las Vegas temple which is always enjoyable.....a nice peaceful setting before getting into the excitement (and stress) of the tournament games. It was fun to be together. 

Inside the restaurant at the Wynn

The entrance to the theater at the Wynn

 The buffet area of the the Wynn Casino was beautifully decorated with extremely large flower arrangements.

The beautiful Las Vegas temple

 During the tournament we ran into the Burnighams many times, the first being at the elevator after the first BYU men's game.  Quite a coincidence.  We also saw and visited with Jill Skipworth and Linda Murray at the game.  They were there, from Spokane, to cheer on Gonzaga.

Dave and Diane Burningham moved from
Utah to Bolder City, Nevada

We left for Bakersfield on Wednesday and enjoyed a two day visit with Dad and Mom. (Dad will be 98 at the end of the month. He promised he would still be around when we returned from our mission and we were glad the Lord helped him honor that promise.)  We took them to dinner at Black Angus on Wednesday for and early birthday dinner and enjoyed visiting with them that night and the next day. After treating Mom and Dad to dinner at  Mexicalli's onThursday, Sam and Kathy, Ron and Patty, and Thad came by to say hi and have homemade ice cream and brownies. Again it was great to visit with all of them after not seeing them for almost 2 years.

Dad, at Black Angus, celebrating his soon to be 98th birthday

Early the next morning, it was off to Medford, Oregon. We needed to make the 9 hour drive so we would arrive early enough to take Julia out to dinner for her baptism. (She was baptized while we were on our mission and when we were in Medford last month, she wasn't feeling well.)  At Julia's request, we went to Hometown Buffet and had a delightful time with her. She is growing up so fast.  After dinner, we returned to her home and enjoyed visiting with Ryan and Katie and their family. 

Ryan and Katie's Grace and Nathan....so cute

All dressed up to go out to dinner with 'Ma' and 'Pa'.

 We were sorry we could only spend one night with Ryan's family but we had to leave early Saturday morning to be in time for Lydia's 11 a.m. baptism. Paul had the honor of baptizing Lydia and I gave the talk on baptism. It was a beautiful morning and we were so glad we could be a part of this most important ordinance for Lydia.  










Andrea put on a lovely lunch for friends and family after the baptism and then it was off to a voice recital for Charlotte, Jillian, Maggie, and Allison. We have such talented granddaughters. Their voices are amazing.

Maggie

Allison

Jillian

Charlotte

That evening, we took Lydia out to dinner to celebrate her baptism. She opted to go the Red Robin. (We were so glad she didn't pick Hometown Buffet, too.) Lydia was delighted with her mac and cheese and we enjoyed our teriyaki chicken sandwiches.  We gave her a necklace, a baptismal journal, and a special marking pen for her baptism. Lydia spent most of that evening, and the next morning before church, filling out her journal. The visit to Andrea and Casey and family was all to short. We had to leave Monday morning but we were glad we could spend the weekend with them. I will be back in 10 days to babysit the girls while Andrea and Casey go on a cruise so that made leaving a little easier. 

This was also a month of dental appointments, being with Jon's boys twice, and a change in our teaching assignment in Primary.  Last month it was physical exams and this month it was dental exams.  After 18 months, we had a little work to do.  I had some places on my upper teeth where the roots was being exposed so the dentist filled those areas with a veneer.  Paul had much more that had to be done.....a crown replacement and an onlay.  Pretty spendy but it all had to be done.  Hopefully, when we return in 6 months, we can get away with only a cleaning and no other dental work.

We had the privilege of being with Jon's boys twice in one week, this month. Jen brought them up to Heber to go sledding at Soldier's Hollow and then came by our home for dinner and a visit.  It was so wonderful to have a nice, even normal, conversation with Jen. We were concerned about her attitude toward us now that she and Jon are divorced. It was the first time, since we have been home, that we have had any one on one time with her. It was a big relief to us that we could have such a nice visit with her. The boys had so much fun playing with the new foosball table we had set up downstairs.  It kept them involved the whole evening until it was time to leave. The very next evening, Jon brought the boys up to spend the night and morning with us. Jon and the boys then came back up Sunday afternoon for dinner with Mindy and her children. What a joy to be with our grandsons three days in a row. 

At Dairy Keen with Jon's boys Saturday afternoon

When we returned home from our trip to Oregon last month, the primary president came into our Sunbeam classroom to give us an assignment change.  We were asked if we would teach the 10 to 11 years olds.  Of course, we said yes.  We miss our little Sunbeams but it is so nice to prepare and teach lessons to children who can answer questions and have an understanding of the gospel.  Our class consists of a group of 13 boys and 2 girls, most of whom are very well versed in the gospel.

One group sitting  at the kitchen table

The last big thing to report his month is the Moscow missionary party we held at our home the weekend after Jon's boys were here.  On Friday, February 27th, we had 22 returned missionary from our mission here for dinner followed by playing games, watching movies, playing foosball and pool, enjoying time in the hot tub, and just visiting.  It was a great evening listening to everyone catch up on each other's lives since returning home. Some of those in attendance we hadn't seen since the first part of our mission. It was wonderful to see everyone again. We love our missionaries. Ten of them spent the night and shared a sourdough waffle breakfast with us in the morning before leaving. What a treat of a weekend. 

One group at the dinning room table

Three at the kitchen counter

The ten who spent the night

From Paul

From Jen and the boys

A couple of ending notes:  Valentine's Day and Kailee's birthday were also celebrated this month.  Two bouquets of flowers for Valentine's day thrilled me.

Kailee requested lemon bars for her birthday dessert.
It was a little challenging coming up with a Sunday dessert using lemon bars.  The result:  Lemon bars topped with vanilla ice cream and a lemon sauce.  It was OK but nothing good enough to do again.

IT'S FEBRUARY....HOME ALMOST 2 MONTHS.

We were blessed with a beautiful
snow storm.  Nothing like a Heber
winter scene.

Where has the time gone?  We have been home almost 2 months now and our mission is becoming a distant memory. We are so much back into the groove of life at home that, sometimes, it seems like we never left home in the first place. This month has been one of getting social security benefits back in place, setting up physical and dental exams, reuniting with former senior couples from our mission, and traveling to see children in Oregon. 

Paul spent many days trying to get me re-enrolled in medicare. His application was processed without a hitch but mine was not. It took two trips to the Provo social security office and several phone calls before he was successful. All that delayed our getting our annual physicals for a couple of weeks. Paul received a clean bill of health from his physical but I found out I have a thyroid issue and my blood pressure is too high. That all means new medications for both problems. The doctor seems to think that my being so tired after returning home was a result of the thyroid not working as it should. It will be interesting to see if I feel significantly better with the medication.

Our stake conference was held on the 17th and 18th of January.  I was asked to talk in the Saturday night session.  My job was to motivate other senior couples in our stake to put in their mission papers. I spoke a bit about our mission experiences and stressed how vital senior couples are to the missionary effort and how desperately they are needed. (We just found out that the Moscow Mission is going from 22 senior couples to 11 by this spring.  We are afraid that is typical of most all missions and that is so sad.) Hopefully couples in our stake will recognize the great need and decide soon to go on missions as a result of what I said.

Kitchen table ready

Dining room table ready

On the Monday of the next week, we had a group of couples over to our home for dinner.  It was our 'empty nester', or what we call our 'free birds,' dinner group. Most of the couples are from our ward and number about 20.  We provided the main course (tri tip and chicken breasts, oscar style) and they brought the salads, breads, and desserts. After dinner, they wanted us to tell them about our mission. We had prepared a slide show of some of the highlights of our time in Russia so we spent about an hour showing our pictures and talking about the joys of serving a mission. 


The rest of the week was very busy. It reminded us of our mission days of 'cooking every second.'  Wednesday,Todd and Kailee brought Kara and Nicole and her children up to have dinner and visit.  We love the fact that Todd and Kailee want to come be with us. We had dinner and then sat and visited and played with Nicole's darling girls.

Kailee adores her two nieces

Thursday, we prepared dinner for Richard and Jeanie Pierson who were in Utah to visit their children living here. They were the couple from our mission with whom we did a lot of sightseeing. We were so glad they would take time away from family to come up to Heber for dinner and a visit. It was fun to reminisce and catch up on happenings in each other's families. There is a strong bond of friendship developed when you serve so closely with senior couples on a mission. ( We also cooked Sunday dinner for Todd and Kailee....four major meals in one week...oh so much like in Russia.)

I kept trying to imagine what it was like watching Paul
play here in high school.  I could almost see him
shooting his jump shot from the side of the key...
definitely his favorite and best shot.

Friday, we decided to attend the temple and then met Todd for dinner at Pizza Factory. (We had been craving their delicious breadsticks.)  Kailee was babysitting Nicole's children so she couldn't join us but we saved her some pizza. After dinner, we attended the Pleasant Grove High School basketball game. They were playing Alpine, the defending champions.  It was a fun game to watch and Paul was loving being back in the gym in which he once played while in high school.  We even found the state championship trophy which his basketball team won back in the 60's.  



The rest of the month was taken up with physical exams, trips to shop for clothes to replenish our wardrobes and to Costco to update our food storage.  We also started our membership at Fit Stop and went to work out for the first time in 18 months. We were a little sore afterwards but it sure felt good. Of course, we continued to teach our Sunbeam class of 6 adorable children.  We have learned that we must have many activities during our class time with them to keep them focused on what we are trying to teach.

Paul telling the children about Daniel in the lion's den

The children in costumes after acting out the story of Daniel.
Left to right - Daniel, the lion, and the king 

The last Friday of the month, we had made plans to meet Jon for lunch.  It seems like we never have a chance to visit with him, hence the invitation to take him to lunch. Paul was up most of the night before, very sick with a flu bug, so I drove to Lehi alone and met Jon at Cafe Rio. We had a great visit.  It is nice to take a minute to catch up on what is happening in our children's lives. 

An incredible display
before introducing the team

Our view of the game during
the first half

On Saturday, we decided to go to the BYU basketball game at the last minute. Jon was there with Mindy. They were guests of Jon's company and were treated to dinner before the game and court side seats for the game.  Pretty nice!

Our view of the game during the second half when we joined
Mitch and Michelle Davis and the Wrights in the expensive seats.

Quite a different perspective

Sunday, February 1st, was Super Bowl Sunday and we had a houseful of guests by the time the game started.  We had a pot roast dinner with Todd, Kailee, Tara, and Nicole and her family.  Kailee's brother, Weston, brought up two of his friends, a little later, and they enjoyed chicken enchiladas and chips and salsa that Kailee had made for them. The game didn't turn out how we all wanted but it was an enjoyable afternoon and evening anyway.


At the last minute, we decided it was time to take a trip to Oregon to see our family there.  We called Andrea and Ryan to see if they would be available if we came the first week of February. They were excited for us to come so it was off to Oregon on Monday, the 2nd of February. We drove to Ontario the first day then onto Portland on Tuesday. We stopped by Paul's niece's home to visit his sister, Yvonne, who is living there. She is suffering with the early stages of Alzheimer's. It was good to see her and Bill but sad to see the condition her mind is in. We wondered if she really remembered who we were. Cheryl had arranged for Elaine and her family to come by for dinner so we had a delightful visit with all of them for a couple of hours.  By 7:00 in the evening, we were on the road, headed for Eugene to visit Andrea and Casey and our granddaughters. The trip from Portland to Eugene seemed endless as our excitement to finally see them was very great.

We came bearing gifts from Russia. We bought matrushka dolls for everyone. Allison and Lydia were amazed to see how small their matruska dolls got. Andrea and Casey received a set of three stacking dolls depicting each of the prophets of the church. They look great in their family room.

Maggie trying to slam

Our visit with Andrea's family was wonderful but all too short.  On Wednesday, we took Allison and Lydia out to lunch for Allison's birthday.  It was fun to be with them. That night, we were left in charge of the girls as Andrea and Casey had an appointment to keep in Salem.  Paul took the older girls to Young Women's and then we popped popcorn and watched a movie with the two younger girls. When the older girls returned home, we did the 'slam' with them.  We had brought special cookies from Russia so we could have the girls participate in the Moscow Mission tradition of slamming...drinking hot chocolate through the chocolate covered cookies. It was fun and very messy.  We so love our beautiful granddaughters.

Jillian wasn't quite sure about the whole thing

Charlotte with the messy melted cookie in her hand - still yummy, though.

Happy Birthday to our beautiful Andrea

The next day was Andrea's birthday so we spent most of the day with her. We went to Casey's office to see all the changes they had made in the past couple of years. They have quite an extensive event rental business. We were very impressed. Andrea is now going into work most every day and loves being more involved in the business than ever before. That night, we took Andrea and Casey out to dinner. Her choice of restaurants was Texas Roadhouse so we enjoyed a wonderful meal there with them to celebrate her 42 years.

The darling Valentine box Maggie
helped Lydia make

Casey being silly at Bed, Bath and Beyond

Friday, we left for Medford to spend the weekend with Ryan's family.  Again, we were so excited to see them but a little apprehensive wondering how Nathan would react to 'Ma and Pa.'  He was just a toddler when we left on our mission so he would not have remembered anything about us.  When we drove up, Nathan was the first at the door with a big smile on his face.  We soon knew our worries were ill founded as Nathan immediately took to Paul and wouldn't let him far from his sight the whole weekend. It was so fun to see everyone once again.  We have missed them so.  

'Pa' was a big hit with all the grandchildren

Soon after we arrived, we all piled into the car to go to the girl's elementary school to see Julia perform in a reader's theater. She lit up when she saw we had made it in time to see the production. The late afternoon, for me, was filled watching Julia's and Aubrey's dance lessons. Paul helped Ryan put up blinds in the playroom while we were gone. 

After her performance, Julia had to show us her
 artwork on display at her school.
It had won the award for most colorful.

One of many dragon figures
seen in the parade.

The next morning, we went to a parade in Jacksonville to celebrate the Chinese new year. There is quite a large population of Chinese in the area and they were a part of the founding of Jacksonville.  It was then off to Julia's basketball game in which she played a few minute, got poked in the eye, and didn't want to play anymore.  We took them all to lunch at Mucho Gusto's and spent the rest of the day playing with the grandchildren. Their favorite game.....'Snarf,' a card game kind of like a group solitaire.  (I used to play it in Spokane and we called it 'Mormon Bridge.') Katie and Aubrey are quite competitive and seemed to win most of the games. Sunday, it was off to church and then a quiet afternoon and evening at home.

At the parade

Julia was thrilled with the gifts
we gave her for her baptism -
a journal and a CTR necklace

Of course, no visit by 'Ma and Pa' would be complete without
dilly bars from Dairy Queen

Monday morning, it was back on the road to come home. It was easier to leave Oregon knowing we would be back in less than a month for another visit.  We had to leave when we did, though, in order to get home in time for a special dinner engagement.  On Wednesday, we met three other couples from our mission at the Roof Restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake. Dennis and Clarene Hayes were in town visiting children and grandchildren, having just returned home from Moscow the previous week...hence the get together. The Jensens and Milestrups also joined us. It was a pleasant evening eating good food, sharing great memories, and strengthening mission friendships.

The beautiful Joseph Smith
Memorial Building

The view of the Salt Lake temple
from the restaurant

From left to right: Janet and Jon Jensen, Dennis and Clarene Hayes,
Leslie and Allen Milestrup, and myself and Paul

And so we have another month in the books.  Life is good.