Quotes of the Week

Understanding who we are influences how we choose to live our lives. What we choose to do here will determine the kind of life we have throughout all eternity. We are never living just for today.
--Russell M. Nelson

Often I am asked, "What's the reason for this growth?" I answer, "Because the Book of Mormon is true."
--Russell M. Nelson

Please protect your families from the deception you will see in your future. That's why we are all busily engaged in this work. We have to fortify our people against the attacks of the adversary.
--Russell M. Nelson

Fair; Coordinating Council at Mormon Battalion

Glen had reserved us a Friday afternoon and evening to spend at the San Diego County Fair. After a morning of doing counseling sessions with missionaries, he was ready to take a little break.

This wash station was so cute!!

The theme this year was based on the Wizard of Oz. My brother Mark's comment when I posted this photo on Instagram made me laugh considering we were getting ready to head back home to Utah the next week. "Remember all you have to do is click your heels together and say, 'There's no place like home.'"

As we have done in years past, we like to sit in the horse arena and watch the horses perform. This time they were jumping.

 

 The characters from Oz were riding the horses during one round.

Even Toto made an appearance in the arena.

The yellow and orange butterfly jump caused many a horse to put on the skids rather than jump. Not just one horse, but several refused to jump that gate.

 We saw Dorothy's house with the tornado headed its way!!!

Who knew Dorothy is such an expert at making balloon creations???

 We found the spot we wanted to buy our dinner.

We opted out of the giant turkey leg this year. Glen ordered a pork chop on a stick. I had pulled pork.

 This was one small donkey.

Try as he might, Glen just could not completely get away from dealing with mission issues.

We like to go in the art building.

A lot of the art was based around the fair theme like this wall of artwork.

 Perhaps grammar is not this artist's best subject??!!??

This photo station totally captured the Oz theme.

In the evening we like to sit outside and listen to whatever music is being played on the small stage.

The fair is always a fun diversion for us for a few hours.

Our coordinating council wanted to give us a send-off. They planned a get together at Mormon Battalion. We had to laugh at that!! We go to Mormon Battalion every 6 weeks!! And we knew it would be Mexican food, which isn't our favorite. We were hoping for something other than Tequila Factory. That wish was granted. They brought in Cafe Rio. 

President Badal (on the right) was recovering from eye surgery. His wife was at a work event and so his daughter drove him down from Temecula to be there with us. We thought that was so nice of them.

President and Sister Allen, the director of the Mormon Battalion (on the left), got everything set up at the facility. President and Sister Shirley, Carlsbad stake, got it all organized.

 (Left to right) President and Sister Toolson of Del Mar stake; President Ballif (his wife was in Utah) of the Vista stake; and a new counselor in the Escondido stake and his son (I have forgotten his name--oops!).

Elder and Sister Davis, our Area Seventy, presented us with the beautiful painting of the San Diego Temple.

We were given the opportunity to go on a tour before dinner. We had originally thought we had no need or desire to go on the tour, but then we decided to go when most of the group went on the tour.

It turned out to be a very special and spiritual experience for us. I love the tour and how it helps to strengthen our missionaries to know they can do hard things just like the members who have gone before us. It helped me realize I have been successful in doing a hard thing that was asked of me by our prophet. It always makes us think of the relatives Glen and I have that marched in the Battalion.

There was some wonderful conversation and reflection as we all talked together. We had already dined out with the Whittiers and the Hams who are the other two stake presidents who were unable to attend that evening.

These are such fine people. Our lives have been richly blessed by our ongoing association with them.

The temple all lit up at night on our way home was a bright reminder of how much we have loved attending that temple every six weeks. What a blessing!!

There were two big mission maps in the mission office.

Since the mission is going to be obsolete in another few days, and the mission office was being closed down and everything was being cleaned out, we took the map.

This chapter of our lives is quickly coming to a close.

Packing Has Begun; Transfer #27--Our Last; Meeting with the Hammons; Elder Pearson Releases Us; Final Photos

We have definitely been in the farewell mode with everyone we see. Our nurses gave us this parting gift and beautiful card.

The move was upon us. We made a trip to Home Depot to get boxes and packing supplies. Glen has decided he wants to move us himself. After all--he did work for Bekins Moving and Storage at one point early on and so one might say we are having a "professional mover" packing and moving us.

Although...I must say I feel a bit better packing some of our stuff myself. I don't think the professionals (especially a man professional) takes as much careful time with packing as I do packing our own things.

I began the laborious work of clearing out all the closets and drawers. Even though the house was furnished when we moved in, I still feel like we brought a lot of stuff. At least it felt that way as I was pulling things out to pack up.

We had boxes decorating various rooms in the house for a few days. I was doing the packing while Glen was doing exit interviews for 20 missionaries.

Then we paused for a few days to have our last transfer.

The 20 departing missionaries came to our home for dinner, testimony meeting and to spend the night. The three sisters stayed with the sister training leaders who live in the apartment complex at the end of our street.

Glen taught (for the last time) about Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

When I saw this picture, it reminded me of the teaching Glen always does with the missionaries before we have dinner.

The next morning we took the big group to the temple (our last time to attend the San Diego Temple).

Then off to the airport we went. One of the missionaries bought matching ties for all the departing elders and bought one for Glen to wear as well. We took the various missionaries to their respective terminals and bid them farewell.

We continued with tradition by going to lunch at Tom Ham's Lighthouse Restaurant.

There were several navy boats filling up at the nearby fuel station.

Along with our assistants, Elder Garner and Elder Maglio, we had the sister training leaders, Sister Eyre and Sister Palmer, with us that day. They helped get all those missionaries and their luggage to the airport.

The restaurant is right by the water, and it sure gives a scenic view while we are dining.

We bid the sisters farewell as we did not need their help with the incoming missionaries since there were only five new missionaries.

Instead of going to tour the USS Midway again, we decided to drive around Balboa Park and let the assistants see that part of San Diego while we waited the several hours until the new missionaries arrived.

Then we kept in our latest tradition of going to get ice cream at Ghirardelli. YUM!!

Back at the airport we welcomed four elders and one sister to the California Carlsbad Mission--for 10 days--until the mission consolidation happens.

Glen arranged these missionaries to be in the portion of the mission that would consolidate with the Irvine Mission to form the new Newport Beach Mission.

Two days later we had the new missionaries come back to the mission office where we did some training with them. Our study/walk around the building was exceptionally beautiful that day with the purple trees flowering.

Then it was Glen's favorite lunch--Chick-fil-A!!

There was a stake cub scout event going on in the church, so we had to relocate to a different part of the building. We went into the high council room. That is where I saw the beautiful picture that caught my eye. 

Elder and Sister Sattley came by the mission office to have their exit interview with Glen before we went to dinner with them.

They are such fine people who have been working as military relations missionaries at Edson Range on Camp Pendleton for 2 1/2 years now. They live at home and keep extending their mission because they love working with the young marine recruits so much.

The missionaries in the Temecula and Murrieta zones are going to the Riverside Mission with President and Sister Hammon. 

We had a meet-the-President meeting with those two zones and then we met with the Hammons afterward to pass on information to them about missionaries with health concerns.

After telling them good-bye, we sat down in front of the computer waiting for Elder Kevin W. Pearson to join in with a face-to-face interaction with him wherein he thanked us for our service.

That was tough. There have certainly been lots of indicators that our time here is fast approaching the end, and this was definitely one of them.

As we were finishing with Elder Pearson, the two zones were finishing up with their zone greet that they do at the beginning of each transfer so they can welcome any new missionaries to the zone and set zone goals for the new transfer.

They asked if they could get pictures with us. So, one by one they stepped up to get a single photo with us and then we took zone photos.

It was actually a sweet experience to tell them good-bye individually. 

Off we went to dinner with the stake president of the Murrieta stake--Elder Rick Whittier and his wife Stefanie.

They were quizzing Glen on what he is going to do when he gets home. It is all up in the air. Since G&K Services got sold to another company, Glen has no company to go back to as he had planned.

He needs to work so he can get insurance for me. (I keep telling him I'm worth it!!) He just doesn't know what the future will hold for him.

That's when they pushed all four fortune cookies his way so he could see what is in his future.

We stopped by Brenda Marshall's home to give her a thank you gift for cleaning our house these three years.

What a blessing that has been for us!! In a lot of respects, we have been so spoiled while living here!!