Looking Back

My sister turned 60 last week and we had a family party at her house. It was fun to reflect back on things that have happened over the course of the years. I remember when we lived in Midvale during the 50's and mom had a three wheeled Harley that she would crank up in the winter. It took about three or four cranks to get it going, but once it got started she would slowly drive around the block and there were kids at every door, ready with their sleds. The first person had a rope to hang on to, but all the others would just grab the heels of the person in front. We had quite a long line of kids as she circled the block and it was so much fun. Unfortunately everyone didn't see it as just good fun and she was instructed by the police not to pull us anymore. There were a lot of sad faces on Cornell Drive when we heard the news.

The missionaries have been a delight. They are careful to put things away and clean up after themselves. I do their laundry and it feels good to wash and fold their clothes, knowing their shirts will be white and their slacks mended as they tend to their service. I think I enjoy the evening the most because I can hear them downstairs laughing and talking with each other. I so miss the noise that comes with young men in our home and now it is back again!

Elder Orton is from Florida and Elder Tueller is from Texas. Elder Orton was out shoe shopping yesterday, it was his year mark and more than time to replace his worn out shoes. A woman happened to see him trying on shoes and volunteered to buy them for him, on the condition he got exactly what he wanted. He ended up getting a real nice pair of Doc Marten's as well as some new socks, with more socks on the way.

I remember seeing missionaries in the grocery store when Brian had first gone out, and I started to cry because I was hoping that someone in Venezuela was thinking the same thing I was ... I wonder what I can do for these young men so far away from home. I admit when I see young men in our ward that remind me of either Cory or Brian I pay particular attention to them; to see what they do, how they talk to their wives, how they treat their children.

We are planning on going to the Ward camp out that will take place this Friday and Saturday. It's up American Fork Canyon so there should be families who can come up and enjoy the community meal without having to spend the night. It's fun to get together in an informal setting and just enjoy each other's company. I plan on roasting lots of marshmallows! We went up to check out the campsite and it was pretty chilly. Glad we have a trailer with a heater.

Shelly Beatty (my neighbor) and I are going to get together on Wednesday to plan our own little fund raiser. The plan is to provide Heritage Care Center (the facility Grandma Whittaker was in while in American Fork) with some new bedding. That was something I noticed they were lacking and our hope is that we can provide them with something that can help quite a few of their residents. We will begin with a dollar amount in mind, determine how much we are willing to invest, see who can help sponsor our cause, etc. We already have an idea of sorts to work with so I'm anxious to see where we can go with it. I keep thinking of the positive experience I had with the first fund raiser for the Literacy Center when we took $50 dollars, saw a $500 profit and then with matching funds from Wal-Mart changed it to $1,000.00 I'm not sure if we can do quite the same, but it will be worth the effort.

I read the post by Tricia which included the remarks by Margaret Nadauld about Women of God. I was so impressed by her remarks that I posted the quote here at work so I can look at it often. Thanks!