Thursday, August 6, 2009

Catching Up

Ok, so it has been forever since I posted. I guess I just like reading everyone else's blog and not posting on my own blog. What can I say? Anyway, there has been a lot going on here, mostly sending our youngest son off to the MTC in mid-July. My baby! Anyway, here is a big post about that adventure, starting with our trip up to Provo. (This is excerpted from the letter I sent to Abram-our son on a mission in Germany- about all this.)

Tuesday July 21st we woke up at 4:30 am to a thunder storm. While my husband was packing everything into the van, our son Ben stood just inside the open garage door looking out at the storm—all the lightning and rain. He put his new camera on video and caught a small violet colored bolt of electricity either coming from the fire hydrant at the end of our driveway or hitting it. It also hit the across the street neighbor's mailbox. He had thought he had seen it happen but wasn't sure so he watched his video frame by frame and sure enough that is what had happened, he showed it to all of us and it was pretty amazing! Luckily it wasn't a big bolt or we all could have been hurt! Dad said there was a lot of electricity in the air as he kept getting shocks when he would touch the doorknobs on the outside doors. We finally got all packed up, said our prayer and our goodbyes and headed out right about 5:20 am in a pouring rain. Joseph made the comment that Arizona just couldn't let him go without showing that he could have lots of rain here, he didn't need to go to the Philippines to get rain! We had rain through the city until we got beyond Anthem and then it petered out and the rest of the journey was pretty uneventful. We arrived at the hotel in Provo shortly after 6 our time, unloaded our stuff and then walked to dinner at a restaurant nearby. After dinner we went back to the hotel, sat around for a while and then went to bed.

The big day dawned sunny and bright. We all took turns showering and then went to breakfast. Joseph had no problem eating. We went back to our room and got dressed in Sunday clothes then sat around and read the Ensigns that I had brought along. Finally it was about 40 minutes before Joseph had to report to the MTC so we got all his suitcases back into the van and drove to the MTC. We got to the parking lot that we have always parked in, next to the "missionary field" and were there greeted by a MTC worker who asked if we were dropping off a missionary, we said yes and he then said for us to park anywhere, take all the pictures we wanted and then load back up and head over to the MTC and we would be directed from there. We had thought that we would be unloading Joseph's suitcases in that parking lot, like before, and then just taking Joseph and them over to the MTC but that turned out to not be the case. So we had Joseph unload one suitcase, took a couple of pictures with him and the suitcase, loaded back up in the van and drove over to the MTC. (Several other families were walking over with their missionaries to the MTC and taking pictures by the signs there and in front of the main building but as we have never done that before, we didn't do it this time either.) We got to the MTC entrance driveway and were directed around the building to another worker, who told us to go to number 5. I didn't know what he meant until I looked over to the side and saw cars along the side and there were big numbers up on posts by each car. We got to 5 and there was no way the van would fit there and another worker told us to go to 8, so we did but same problem. We were waved forward by yet another worker (some of them may have been missionaries, I don't know) and two cars left the curb by 11 and 12 so now there was enough room and so we pulled in there, backing up a bit to fit by 11. An elderly worker and 2 elders came forward as we opened the doors and got out. The two elders got Joseph's luggage and told him to say goodbye and then go into the building while they took care of his luggage and then he would come out and they would take him and his luggage to his room. Meanwhile the elderly gentleman asked me my missionary's name, found it on his list and checked it off, wrote something down on a card and gave it to me saying that it had the address to write to my missionary at and then he said you have 30 seconds til we need this space again! 30 SECONDS!?!?!?! I grabbed Joseph in a big hug, cried on his suit, said goodbye and got back into the van. The elderly worker said "We'll take good care of him!" Dad hugged Joseph and said goodbye, climbed into the van himself and we were waved off. I turned around as we drove off to see Joseph walking into the building. That was it for our goodbyes! I don't know if I like this new procedure. The family meeting/orientation may have drawn out the goodbyes but it seemed better to me. Oh well, change is always happening.

Other than that, things are going well as we adjust to less people here at home. Dad and I are trying to keep Joseph's garden growing, at least the herbs as everything else is pretty much dead from the heat. July 2009 was the hottest July on record here in the Phoenix area! The average high was 109.8º. We had 15 days with temps 115 º or above and 27 days with temps 110 º or above and every day in the month was at least 100 º. So it has been mighty warm. Yesterday it got to 111 º and so far today it is 110 º. We are hoping that August won't be the hottest on record but so far it looks like it is trying to be! I've used my solar oven once so far this summer to bake bread but it is just so hot to go outside that it seems to me it kind of defeats the purpose--I get more hot and sweaty making sure the oven is facing the sun than I do baking the bread in the regular oven inside!

Tonight we are going over to meet the teacher night at the school. My oldest grandson, the one who with his father lives with us, will be starting kindergarten on Monday. How time flies! It will be interesting to see how he does.

Lastly we are waiting for grandchild #5 to make his appearance. He isn't due until the end of the month but it doesn't look like he will wait until then. Always something happening around here. I wanted to include a few pictures, but Dad hasn't downloaded them yet so maybe next time, which hopefully won't be too far away!!