Saturday, September 30, 2017

Well, we’ve been here for a week now and it has flown by incredibly fast.  Today it was time for the usual Saturday chores—laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, and a little grocery shopping for next week.  We walked early and everything still looked gorgeous.  I’m a little worried about how this community will look when all the fallen leaves have left the trees bare and hope it isn’t melancholy. 

In this time zone, we can’t watch the first session of Conference until Noon since we can’t see it before it airs live!  😊  So, it’s 10:00 p.m. and the Priesthood Session just ended.  We drove to the Visitor’s Center to watch the first session and it was shown in a huge auditorium on a gigantic screen.  It was mostly missionaries who attended.  Near the end the satellite signal kept failing, so there were interruptions.  However, there immediately were devices all over carrying the speaker until reception on the big screen was restored.  We decided to watch the afternoon session and Priesthood session in our apartment on my laptop which has great speakers and a good-sized screen.

The Conference messages were inspiring as usual, but we really missed seeing and hearing from Pres. Monson.  His absence definitely left a void.

Pretty soon I’ll tire of showing cute squirrels if perchance the sightings lose their novelty.  This little critter keeps coming up onto our patio. 

Friday, September 29, 2017

This was the last day of cleaning and things really came together as tables, plants, chairs, couches, benches and all manner of decor found their way back to assigned places.  Everything looks fresh and so beautiful.

We returned to the temple in the afternoon for our first formal training meeting.  We saw a touching new training video we haven’t seen before that left us wanting with all our hearts to be more Christ-like in how we treat all of Heavenly Father’s children and to become sensitive to the whisperings of the Spirit as we officiate in our responsibilities.  We also toured the entire temple (except for the engineering and electronic floors).  There were only three senior couples plus the trainers so it was very personal and was a great afternoon of learning and spiritual uplift.

The temple is big enough that we are going to be lost for a while and be a little intimidated.  However, it will come a little at a time.  I was happy to see clips from the training videos that I had seen in Spanish for 23 months, and to hear the words in English.  I really learned a lot and realized that I had missed verbal training although visual training seemed to work just fine! 

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Today after our morning cleaning shift, we were set apart by Pres. Colton as temple ordinance workers.  The prayers were beautiful and included the promise of great blessings.  Our shifts will be Tuesday Morning, Wednesday Morning, Thursday Mid-day, Friday Evening and Saturday Evening during the five work days.  The Spanish sessions are Friday and Saturday evenings and any other time by appointment or demand and we will be available for those shifts as well.  We are really excited to get started!  I took the pictures below from the Visitor’s Center as we left the temple today.  The pictures of the grounds aren't the best and don't show how beautiful they are, but maybe I can get a few better ones later.

Volunteers are putting up Christmas lights.  They told us that this temple has one of the most spectacular Christmas displays in the Church.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

After the morning of cleaning in the temple, I went to the stake center with Sister Sudweeks—her husband is related to Natalie Peterson’s husband Lawrence Sudweeks—for an orientation on the organ.  I have been called to serve as a ward organist in the Rock Creek Ward.  It is a pipe organ and will be a challenge taking lots of practice.  But I am grateful to be able to use my music in service. 

We walked around our neighborhood again to get some exercise and loved the ambiance created by the old houses, narrow streets, and grand trees. There are already crunchy leaves on the sidewalks and streets although not from new fallen leaves.  It was still fun to stroll through him except for the fact that they were laden with allergens!

We stopped at the Safeway on the way home to pick up a few more items like cinnamon, cocoa, Honey Crisp and McIntosh apples, and granola bars—you know—necessities!!

There are lots of photos from our walk, but I couldn’t help myself!!  There are many more wonderful houses!

Looks like a charming library, and who would name "Noyes"!  Very Clever

So much fun to walk these streets every day.  

There are lots of squirrels everywhere!   Have you ever seen black ones?

There is a normal colored cutie sitting at the base of the tree, too.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Our first assignment in the temple was to help with the cleaning.  It has been closed for two weeks for the semi-annual cleaning and there is one week to go.  All of the missionaries help for one week of the closure.  Upon our arrival, we were given a white jumpsuit to change into and assigned to a team.  Our job today was on the second floor and we cleaned the chapel, the massive hallways, and some private offices.  It meant dry dusting all the walls, paintings, fixtures, and vacuuming.  It was a very unique experience to be in a temple in that aspect.  And now, we know our way around that floor!  We will continue cleaning from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Friday.  

This is the North end of our apartment building.

Monday, September 25, 2917

Glade accepted an invitation and played pickle ball this morning.  He liked it better than he did the first time he played in St. George, but the techniques are so different from racquetball that it takes quite a bit of adjusting.  He had a great time, though, and made new friends. 

We went to the temple to get a locker and take our clothes.   Since there was no one else there except the secretary and a few painters and engineers, we were privileged to get a personal tour that no one else got.  It is a magnificent temple and so beautiful.  There are seven floors and it is probably the largest temple in the world as far as square footage goes, and third largest in actual usage space.  (The secretary told me that this morning 😊).  It is definitely going to take a while for us to find our way around without getting lost. 

Later, we finished our shopping and I added a touch of Fall to our apartment with little orange lights and leaf garlands.  Glade told me to buy fresh flowers for our table and I found a Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candle at Bath and Body Works in the mall, Now it looks and feels like home!  We just need cooler weather, taco soup, fresh rolls, and maybe a little hot chocolate.

Just about dusk we took a long walk through our neighborhood.  It feels rather quaint and quite old fashioned.  There are beautiful old homes that are huge and must have been mansions in their glory days.  The yards are big and filled with old plants, trees, flowers, and a few rustic fences.  Most things are neat and tidy and it has such a comfortable feel.  I just love it!  I can’t wait to see it in the fall.  Almost nothing is dry which is due in part to the humidity here and heavy dew each night/morning.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Fast Sunday was an opportunity to have a “grateful” fast.  We have had so many blessings in our family and in our lives that it felt like a good time and way to thank Heavenly Father for His goodness to us.  Sacrament Meeting was at 2:30 p.m. and included 60 senior missionaries and district workers.  Every fast day, each apartment building holds a break-the-fast potluck meal together with couples, and single sister missionaries, taking a turn to host.  The food was delicious and everyone stayed after for an hour or so to visit and get acquainted.  There are lots of new couples and so many of them are from Utah!

Saturday, September 23, 2017 -- Jeff’s Birthday

This beautiful morning coaxed us out early for a walk around our neighborhood.  We came upon a Farmer’s Market where we bought corn on the cob, a tomato, huge Honey Crisp apples for only $1.99/lb., a pint of rich expensive chocolate ice cream for Glade, and two loaves of the best Great Harvest Bread.  There is a franchise nearby and they sell fresh breads and baked goods every Saturday morning at the market.   These gorgeous red flowers appeared next to the Farmer's Market.

Our walk to the Safeway Grocery takes us right through a section of little antique shops across from an enchanting train track that is camouflaged by heavy plant overgrowth.

Shopping was next on the list and we found our way to a nearby mall and grocery store to get stocked up for a couple of weeks.  And guess what—the mall has a JoAnn’s Fabric Store!!  It made my day.  Glade was a very patient shopper and it was a great day. 

 

New friends invited me to attend a soup and bread dinner and the Women’s Session of General Conference at the stake center.  Powerful messages, strong testimonies, and sweet sisters to share it with, all made for a wonderful evening.  I thought of all my eight daughters and maybe seven granddaughters who were gathered in other places hearing the same beautiful messages and it made me happy even if we couldn’t all go together physically.

Friday, September 22, 2017 – We have arrived!

Today’s drive was again so beautiful.  The countryside was covered with leafy deciduous trees all bunched together and interrupted now and then by green meadows and small tidy farms.  Fall officially began about 4:02 this afternoon, and Mother Nature’s pallet is already spreading its autumn glory through the foliage.

We arrived in Washington DC about 2:30 p.m. after only one freeway construction hold-up where we advanced two miles in about 45 minutes.  Our prayers for the proper functioning of our car were answered and it experienced no other incidences since our prayers yesterday.  We feel very blessed and recognize many tender mercies on our behalf since we left home.  There is a feeling that comes over you when you are set apart as a missionary and you can see the Lord’s hand in your life and feel at peace. 

We were met in the parking lot by sweet missionary couples who helped us unload our car.  Luckily, our apartment is on the bottom floor so it wasn’t too taxing for these kind seniors.  People just kept coming and when they finished, several said, “Is that all?”  I said that we had been encouraged not to bring too much “stuff.”  So, we complied!  I think we have enough for six months, however.  Our winter trips to St. George initiated us as to how little it takes to live.  I did manage to bring my sewing machine, a three foot by two foot cutting mat, a large acrylic sewing machine accessory, a bag full of Fall fabric, and all the usual tools and notions. 😊

The apartment building is old but spacious (except for the small bathroom) and stocked with necessities.  We have Internet service and air conditioning so we are set!!  The view from our large living room windows/patio doors looks out on a pretty green yard with trees and plants that will soon be changing colors and dropping leaves.

View out our back windows and patio doors. 

The front of our apartment building

Our host couple had put fresh fruit in a bowl in the kitchen, clean linen on the beds, groceries on the counter, and milk and sandwich meat in the fridge.   They brought us a meal of chili and cornbread and then showed us how to get to the Safeway grocery store, the stake center where we will attend church, and the temple.  The temple—the 3^rd largest in the world—is spectacular and the grounds are beautiful.  Its appearance is stunning!

We put a few things away and were just starting some laundry after our ninth day away from home, when there was another knock on our door with an invitation to a surprise birthday party for one of the missionaries.  Glade went in his Star Wars PJ bottoms, but it was a fairly casual get-together and we met lots of people including a couple from Jeff and Emi’s ward in Salem.  It was a delightful, welcoming, and very friendly group.  It has been a great beginning!

Wednesday, September 20, 2917

After more three-lane truck and construction trauma, we stopped for gas in a little town in Indiana called La Porte, to get gas.  The Phillips 66 station ended up being about five miles off the freeway; but we found it, put gas in the car and were ready to roll again.  When Glade tried to start the car, the warning lights flashed and a message said "brake pressure low."  When we tried to drive forward, the warning notices wouldn't stop. So, we searched the owner's manual which said in this instance to call the dealer. 

Glade called Chris at our Lexus dealer in Utah for advice who instructed us to have it checked at a Lexus dealership.  Roadside Service dispatched a tow truck, but Glade told them we were in La Port, Iowa when we were actually in La Porte, Indiana!  We waited four hours for the tow truck.

Very nice people in a Chiropractic office next door let us wait there out of the heat.

Glade called and cancelled our reservation in Toledo, Ohio, for tonight and the good-hearted  man waived the cancellation fee.  The Triple A driver finally arrived and loaded our precious car onto the back of his truck and took us 40 miles to Mishawaka, Indiana, where thankfully and miraculously there was a Lexus dealership!  (One of many tender mercies)

En route we entered another time zone, arriving at 6:00 p.m.--closing time--instead of 5:00 p.m.  However, one salesman remained who set us up for service in the morning and helped us find a Hiatt two blocks away where we could spend the night.  At 7:00 a.m. Glade was there and they started the computer check of the car.  Guess what they found--absolutely NOTHING!

We were prepared to have to wait days for parts and major repairs so we feel very blessed that we were able to get back on the road by 10:30 a.m.  Although we had to back track, we made good time and were able to keep our reservation in Pittsburgh, PA tonight. 

We were on the Ohio Turnpike near Cleveland and stopped at a truck stop to top off the tank and get a sandwich.  After getting the gas and starting the car--the warning lights and flashers came on again!  We parked, had a sandwich at Panera, and got back in the car.  We prayed with all our faith over our car, pushed the ignition, and wallah--prayers answered--no warnings flashed and we drove on making it to our destination by 5:00 tonight just ahead of rush hour.  The traffic going out was bumper to bumper, but we cruised right in to the Courtyard Marriott in Cranberry Woods in our Eastbound lanes.  We are feeling very blessed and watched over!!

 Loading the car for the 40 mile tow.

 A place to stay at the Hiatt

 The trees are turning!!!  We had a great walk around Misawaka

September 14, 2017

Glade and I have been called to serve as missionaries in the Washington DC Temple.  It has been a flurry of activity getting ready to leave our home again, but not nearly as difficult as it was to leave for two years in Honduras.  Our call is to serve for six months until the temple closes for major renovation in March of 2018.  We are thrilled with this new assignment and will be able to assist with the Spanish ordinances.

Our first stop was in Utah to visit a few family members, get the car serviced at the dealership in Lindon, and attend a BYU football game.  On Sunday, September 17, we went to Church in Provo, Utah, and then began the long drive across the country to Maryland.

For the most part, the drive was uneventful, the roads were good, and we stayed on schedule.  Along the way we stayed in Rawlins, Wyoming; Kearney, Nebraska; Bettendorf, Iowa; Mishawaka, Indiana; Cranberry Woods, Pennsylvania; and then on to the final destination—Kensington, Maryland.