The good, the bad and the ugly...

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to pack we go...our normal tidy home is totally upside down and it is DRIVING ME NUTS! I wouldn't call myself a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination but I do enjoy knowing where things are and how to find them and now....as you can see...I need not say more!! I know there is a natural progression of things and this too will end.

All three of our boys are coming tomorrow and we are very excited to see them and to get their help. Dear friends Claudia and Warren are opening their home and hearts to us and we are so grateful!!





One thing that I will really miss is my beautiful flowers. I learned the art and wonderment of growing from my buddy Leslie-she lived a few houses from me in Utah and is a Master Gardener who is also very patient with her 'students'. I know we will have lovely foliage in the Philippines but I do love and will miss playing in my columbines...




This was also a sad but productive day. My longtime friend Bertie Lutz and I have a tradition of 'cleaning the machine' together-when I was taking my longarm classes and learning the ins and outs of quilting, I had her attend my workshops with me because four ears are better than two and two brains [especially as we approach and pass 60] are a lot better than one! It has become a great bonding activity-we each have our tasks and together, we can get it sparkling in a little over an hour. Today was our last time to accomplish this feat together. 'Millie' will be living at a friends quilting studio for two years and we needed to get her cleaned and ready to be moved. It was definitely bittersweet-I love this friend of 30 years and I will miss her terribly as well as my buddy of the past seven years, my Millie. She and I have created many beautiful quilts and I look forward to working together for many more years.

The Waiting Game is Over!!!

March 31st was my granddaughter's birthday and when I called her that morning to sing her our traditional birthday greeting, I told her our mission call would arrive that day and what a red letter day it would be-her 17th and our destiny for the next two years. Everyone in Omaha assured me that 'the calls ALWAYS arrive in Omaha on Thursdays' so I rescheduled my entire day to wait...I even had Vicky and her kids across the street hawking for me. Imagine my disappointment when he came, delivered and our box did not contain the traditional large white envelope.

Friday arrived and it was April Fool's Day...what a cruel joke if he came empty-handed again so I was determined to not miss the moment the white truck pulled around the corner. I took my journal, sat up the camping chair on the driveway and enjoyed the first warm day after a horrendous winter...I watched and I watched, I wrote my feelings about this important day in my journal and FINALLY.................

I heard the truck...tentatively [trying to act calm] I got out of my chair and walked across the street to the mailbox cluster located closest to us-we actually walk to the other end of the block for OUR mail but if I talk nice, he might give me my mail early...

Impatient future missionary: Hi~how are you???
Mailman: [looking a little puzzled] Fine...
Me: Could I pick up 5808's mail please?
Mailman: Sure..hang on a minute..[finishes placing mail SLOWLY in pigeon holes]
Me: A beautiful day, isn't it? We sure deserve this after our record-setting winter..

Now he is probably wondering what contest he won to have me in his armpit!!

Mailman: [handing me my bundle of mail, all normal sized envelopes and plunder (my grandfather's name for trash mail)] Here you go..
Me: Is that all? [crushed face most likely]
Mailman: Oh wait...I think I have a pkg for you.

Now, I thought my 'call' would arrive in an envelope, not a package but who was I to question?

THEN I SPOTTED IT!!!!!!!!!!! [cue the music] THE AWAITED ENVELOPE!!!

I lovingly cradled it in my arms like a newborn baby and walked quite briskly across the street, all the time thinking, 'this is it!' 'it is finally here!' 'I can't wait' 'I must call Randy'..

and to my dismay..........HE DIDN'T ANSWER THE PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What to do? Should I just open it and pretend when I finally contacted him that I was finding out along with him? He wouldn't mind...he would never know...GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN!!!!!

I will try again and he answered!

Now a small bit of background-we had wanted to go serve in the Cauayan City Mission but had received information in the two weeks previous that we probably would be going elsewhere-Russia, South Africa, Finland, Taiwan...

Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found out we WERE going to Cauayan!! I think I screamed, I know I cried and afterwards, I prayed my eternal thanks to a Father in Heaven who heard my plea's and once again, answered my prayers...

This begins our adventure and I hope you will enjoy following our comings and goings as we serve our loving Heavenly Father until July of 2013 in the greatest mission in the world!!!


P.S...my replacement passport also arrived that same day but really took a backseat...so much so that I forgot to sign it before mailing it to the Mission Training Center. They had to return it for a signature for it to be legal..haha!