Making it Eternal

April 21, 2011 is a day we had long awaited.  Doc and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple! Above is a picture of us heading out to Salt Lake . . . plenty early. Rachelle came at 6 a.m. (before the chickens were up) and curled my hair and did my make up-- truly a kindness! I even felt like a bride.

Here we are after the sealing on the temple steps. 

Look how ornate the door knobs are to the temple.

Following the sealing ceremony and after a few pictures, we were off to a luncheon at the Lion House.  Now the Lion House is significant because while serving our medical missions when we couldn't get anyone on the medical list to answer their phone, Doc would say, "They're out having lunch at the Lion House with their family." Soooo, we just had to enjoy lunch at the Lion House with our family too!

The menu was fresh fruit with a lime dressing, chicken stuffed crepes with wild rice and steamed squash, melt in your mouth famous Lion House rolls with honey butter and raspberry cheesecake.

Sorry Rachelle, I only got a picture of your hands!?! I guess I can't see as well as hear. 

All of our family except Marshall and Christina who live in Belgium were in attendance.  What a blessing!

Mission Report and Sunday Brunch

Our mission report was on April 17, 2011.  Doc and I were the only speakers. Our theme was Alma 37:6-7 "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Following Sacrament Meeting, we held a brunch at our home.  The weather cooperated and it was a grand day for us. The girls all came on Saturday afternoon and helped prepare the food.  The menu included Betty Garber's Jewish noodle pudding (pictured above),  President & Sister Pehrson's Swedish Rice Pudding (pictured below), Sister Roach's breakfast casserole, fresh fruit and dip, spring pasta salad, meat and cheese trays, Bratton's New England clam chowder, Boston baked beans candy, Munson's creme brulee chocolates, pineapple & mandarin orange boats, and last but not least, Chelsey made 72 lobster-shaped sugar cookies. 

Home Sweet Home

A lot has happened over the past few weeks.  Thanks to the family who took a few snapshots.  Here is the scene when we pulled into Spanish Fork.  I admit, I'd been dreaming of this moment in time for over a year.  How blessed we are to have such a great family.  Everyone adds so much to our lives and we love all dearly.

We rolled into Spanish Fork at 9 p.m.  Here are a few pictures of our grand reunion.

See the USA in Your Chevrolet . . . Really a Nissan Pathfinder

I LOVE America!  Every time we road trip, I feel a reverence for this promised land. Driving back to Utah was no exception.  The following pictures were taken from the car window as we drove past the various sites.

The above photo is of a car factory in either Pennsylvania or Ohio. 

We have driven past this implement factory in Iowa several. We remembered the stacked trailers.  This time I wasn't driving and could take a few pictures.

Iowa has some of prettiest farm land.  Acres and acres of land were waiting for spring planting. I also love how neat and kept the farm houses are. 

Wind farms dot the countryside in Nebraska and Wyoming. It's quite a sight to see the huge turbines whirl.

I can't remember the significance of the bridge that spanned the freeway but it had some impressive sculptures on each end.  Notice the ominous sky.

Nebraska hosts the national headquarters of Cabella's.  The huge store has some impressive bronze sculptures surrounding it.

Hurray . . .  MOUNTAINS! 

Mountains never looked so beautiful.

Yipeee, Utah! Just a few short miles and we're HOME!

I know we were protected in our travel, both while serving and while driving home.  Heavenly Father was ever mindful of us.  Knowing we had storms in store for some of our trip home, we prayed Heavenly Father would temper the weather.  For most of the trip, the weather was cold but roads were clear. The last day of our journey snow and rain were predicted through Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. Knowing that Wyoming can get some nasty storms that close the freeway, we left our trip in the Lord's hands.  As we drove through the storms, it was obvious the heavy parts were on our right and on our left, literally. It was as if the clouds were parted. I had the overpowering feeling Heavenly Father was tenderly caring for us and our return.  How grateful I am.

It's so good to be home!

Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood

One of the very best parts of serving a mission is the wonderful people you meet.  They really have left imprints on our hearts. 

The above photo is of Wendy and Howard Posner.  We met them at the Avon Ward.  They hosted us on New Years Eve and also had a nice dinner for us just before we left.  The Posners are Jewish converts.  Their testimonies are incredible.  How we love them.  Sister Posner teaches the investigator's Sunday School class. I feel like I have known her much longer. They have family in Lehi, Utah and have promised to call us when they come our way this May.

Our dear, dear downstairs neighbor is Betty Garber.  She is the sweetest Jewish widow.  The above picture is of us at the Thai Palace just a few days before we left.  We enjoyed mini chats in her kitchen and she shared some great Jewish recipes along with her love.  I'd always pick up extra raspberries or strawberries at Sam's Club and share them with her. I told her she's going to refer to me as her "Fruity Mormon Friend!" 

The above picture is of Frank, our Jewish security guard at the 600 Apartment complex.  He was so friendly and always had a smile for us. I'd always fix an extra plate of food for him. It was hard to say goodbye to this dear friend.

Tatiana was the morning security gate guard.  She too always smiled and waved as we came and went.  She's the first person we met the day we drove into the complex last April.  I didn't get photos of Audrey, tiny Faye or Lillian but they were wonderful gate guards too.

Our neighbors across the hall are Herb and Julia Wright.  They were always so warm and welcoming. For Valentine's Day, I gave them fresh strawberries and fruit dip.  She called shortly after I gave it to her and wanted the recipe.  The funny part is while she repeated the ingredients and instructions to her daughter who was writing it down, she looked over at Herb and he was writing it down too.  We laughed and said it was Herbie's fruit dip. Great, great people!

Although no person is found in this photo, I just had to include it because we came to be great friends with the post office workers.  It's against the law to take pictures inside so this one just has to do.  Geneva, Marian, and Robert helped with letters, cards, and packages.  I jokingly said the post office in Men in Black II is fashioned after this New England post office because it is always busy and is so tiny inside. The truth is they were saddened to learn of our return to Utah and we have fond memories of them too.

Load 'em Up; Move 'em Out

The long awaited day arrived to say goodbye to our friends in Connecticut and trek home to Utah.  On Friday, March 25, we had a final apartment inspection at 2:30 p.m. and then we drove into the sunset.  But before that happened there was a bit of cleaning, packing, cleaning and did I mention packing.  Elder Mendenhall did a superb job to fill every little nook and cranny in the car.  It's a bit surprising we didn't do wheelies all the way home with the amount of things and extra weight.

Here I am, getting ready to board the Pathfinder express. P.S.  Notice the ruby slippers. I told everyone I was going to click my heels three times and say the words, "There's no place like home", just like Dorothy.

This is the inside view just behind the passenger seat. Crazy, huh.

The first night we stayed in Drums, Pennsylvania. With the lack of sleep and excitement to be completing our mission, it's a miracle we made it that far.  The second day we drove to Lombard, Illinois and stayed across the street from our old apartment. We stayed at the Weston Hotel that we watched being built just a few years ago.  Sunday we attended church at the Naperville Stake Center, had lunch at the Morton Arboretum and then it was off again.  This time we drove as far as Council Bluff, Iowa.

Notice in the pictures our nice road bikes attached to the bike rack at the back of our car.  Well, someone during the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. decided to relieve us of our bikes.  Yup, they cut the tungsten steel bike cable and stole our bikes!  The weather forecast was for snow. Elder Mendenhall didn't sleep well because he was worried about driving conditions. When he awoke to check to see if the snow had started yet, to his dismay he couldn't see our bikes.  He got dressed and went down to the car.  We couldn't believe someone would steal them.  By that time we were both wide awake. We quickly got ready for the day, gave a report to the police and started down the road. We had reservations to stay in Laramie, Wyoming but it was still daytime so we just kept on driving and drove into the welcoming arms of our family in Spanish Fork at 9 p.m.   

This last photo is a picture of Elder Mendenhall unloading the car the next morning.  Ahhhhh, there really isn't a better place to be than home!