Impromptu Speaking, New Doctor Visits, Power Outage, Zone Conferences, Moses' Tabernacle

This particular day we were going to a baptism and since one of the elders was doing the baptizing, the other elder needed help teaching the restoration lesson to the people while the elder and the person he was baptizing were getting changed out of their wet clothes.

It was spur-of-the-moment and Glen has never taught like that before, but he did a very nice job! All I could say was, "Glad it was him and not me!" I get enough chances for last-minute asks in meetings to "say something and then bear a testimony."

Oh yeah! It's me at Urgent Care. Thankfully I wasn't having a problem...at this particular moment in time... And I really didn't have a problem when this fabulous phlebotomist was able to draw several vials of blood very easily on the first stick. Hurrah!!!

I was just making a little visit to see Dr. Neuendorf, the mission doctor, so he could get me in the system so he could refer me to a cardiologist.

He was questioning why in the world I am still on the blood thinner warfarin when there are other drugs so much better to use where I wouldn't have to be careful of what I eat (greens thicken the blood and portion control is critical) and I wouldn't have to have monthly blood tests.

Several years ago I went on one of the new blood thinner meds for a short time and it was extremely expensive. So I have never given it a second thought. I now started to think about it.

One P-day we had gotten notice we would be having a planned power outage--for the entire day. WHY on a P-day when that is the day we spend the most time at home? At least we got our eggs cooked before the power went out. I am documenting the time the power went off.

As usual, we ended up having things we had to do, so we did leave the house for a good portion of the day. While at the church meeting with some Cardiff-By-the-Sea elders, MP couldn't help himself when he saw some other elders playing a little basketball at the end of their P-day activities. He just had to join in and shoot some hoops with them.

And this is what time we ended up getting back home to eat dinner. Thankfully the power was back on and we had no trouble cooking our dinner.

I love zone training meetings because the zone leaders and sister training leaders do all the teaching and training. We sit at a small table at the back of the room and just observe. I love watching them teaching and hearing the comments of the rest of the group during the discussions. They are wonderful at teaching in the Savior's way.

These two elders are the twins of the mission. They aren't real twins, but they do look a lot alike.

Zone pictures are a must after the meeting. Complete with a crazy one.

Not only do we have a wonderful house cleaner who comes every other week or every third week if she has a vacation planned, but we also have yard people. They come every Thursday. We are usually still home when they come.

I have yet to see them use a lawnmower on the lawn. But I do see them blowing the grass. Every time. I guess lawns here don't need to be mowed, they need to be blown.

This is probably my favorite room we have met in for a zone conference. I didn't get a crazy picture of this bunch of missionaries. Sorry to disappoint. Unless you count the one elder toward the back on the left who decided to be crazy and turn his head the opposite way.

MP had three hour-long exit interviews for the missionaries going home, so my plan was to hang out in the chapel and study and practice the organ. These two missionaries soon joined me as they wanted to practice for an upcoming thing they were asked to do a musical number for.

Along with me, they were laughing at the red button on the podium that the bishop's councilor can push to light up and tell the speaker TIME IS UP!!

I did get the last hour to practice the organ. It was heavenly!

We have a couple from Murrieta who wanted to meet with us to discuss the possibility of them becoming a senior couple in our mission. We drove up there to have dinner with them and then they took us to see an exhibit of Moses' Tabernacle built to full scale on the property next to this huge mansion.

I just learned these people let the missionaries use their "play house" on P-days where they can play a lot of fun games and get some exercise running around.

New leader training meeting featuring our newest sister training leaders with our veteran training leaders--the two taller ones in the middle.

There are the three newest elder leaders in the middle with the one standing in front of the table having a birthday and patiently waiting for us to sing to him.

It was three-piece suit day for these two assistants.

Here come the photos of the meeting. You know the drill by now. First the normal one and then the crazy one.

One sister showed me her bug-eaten legs with her shoe tan lines. We have now ordered bug spray to have available to anybody else who complains of being eaten up by bugs.

Well look at me in a doctor's office once again. This time was also not a big deal. I had a nice conversation meeting my new cardiologist in San Diego. He is a young doctor and immediately questioned my use of warfarin in lieu of the newer meds.

He told me to go home and read about both of them and tell me which one I would prefer. He prefers Eliquis. I told him I would need to ask Missionary Medical if those meds are covered and how much it would cost for me to use them. He said he would await my decision and be ready to write out a prescription as soon as I gave the word.

Also, he said he would have someone call me about setting up my next pacemaker check for December. It felt good to get my heart stuff figured out for my 3 years living here.

We decided to eat close to where the doctor was in hopes the traffic would thin out for our return trip back to Carlsbad. Firenze was a good decision. We ate out on the patio in a lovely setting and the food was delicious.

We LOVE the beauty we see all around us each and every day here in this part of California. We ran into the mission president of the San Diego Mission one day at the airport and he called our mission The Garden of Eden. We have to agree!! 

Late Night, Brimleys, Trust Fall, Transfer Board, Dining Options, Hearts

Thank goodness there are code boxes on the churches in our mission because the missionaries can always get in the churches to use the bathrooms and have meetings without needing keys.

And it makes it nice for us to be able to get into the buildings as well. This time it was in the dark of night an hour before bedtime. Needless to say, we didn't get to bed on time this night (or on many other nights...).

I am in love with palm trees. They are even beautiful at night.

Other trees are beautiful as well. The other day as I was standing in our driveway, I looked up and beheld the beauty of this flowering tree.

Our friends Todd and Kim Brimley were in California on vacation and stopped by for dinner. It was wonderful to see them and we still have a connection with them in North Salt Lake as Sarah is now teaching with Kim in the same Primary class.

We live so close to the ocean and usually on P-days we walk by the ocean.

We have wonderful missionaries who are always showing love to us.

One day I had Glen drive us up to the entrance of Legoland just so I could see how literally close we live to the theme park.

 

Glen received this lunch bag as a gift from G&K a couple of years ago at the General Managers Meeting. Believe me when I say it has literally helped sustain our lives!! The first 10 days or so on our mission we were STARVING because we would plan to stop and eat somewhere or think we had time to go home to eat a meal and then things came up and we often had to forego meals.

That is when I determined I would start making sack lunches each day. Even if we plan for time in the day to stop to eat, I will still pack water and snacks...just in case.

District meetings are interesting. At this one, they always have the new missionaries do the trust fall. MP was new, so down he went...

All the missionaries love to take silly pictures. This is inside-out-suit-coats photo. I was happy I wasn't wearing a jacket that day.

Office staff meeting every six weeks.  

There's the transfer board showing which zone each of our missionaries is located.

On transfer planning week, this lovely sign gets hung up all around the office warning the missionaries to ask for permission before walking by the MP office so they don't get a sneak preview of what planning is in the works.

The state of the shoes of some of our missionaries makes me shake my head. Good thing it doesn't rain around here. Good thing one of these missionaries has gone home and another is going home soon.

We kept hearing about how we needed to go try out the restaurant at the gas station. Well, that didn't sound appealing to me at all!!! When I learned this restaurant supplies the food for our missionaries at Christmas time, I decided I would be willing to eat at the gas station one day to try out the food.

We learned the owner of the gas station wanted to start serving BBQ sandwiches in one corner of the gas station and his wife had no confidence the idea was a good one and told him people would buy the food when pigs fly. Hence, the name of the restaurant which seems to be doing very well. They also do catering, and not just catering for the missionaries at Christmas time.

The owner is so nice to the missionaries and gives them free car washes--including us as well.

We got heart-attacked by some sweet missionaries.

Mission Leadership Council always includes lunch.

The assistants were having comp (companion) unity another day. This time with sock ties. Never heard of sock ties until now.

We were invited to dinner with Clark and Kathleen Wardle. They were showing us the finer side of dining, meaning we weren't eating our dinner at a gas station.

Came home to see our door showered with more hearts.

It is nice to feel like the missionaries (at least the sister missionaries) are supporting us even in the early stages of our reign as MP and MPW of the California Carlsbad Mission.