Road Trip Pics

I took so many pictures but knew that most would not turn out as I was taking them from the car.  

These are the ones that looked decent after cropping

En  Route to Utah by way of Klamath Falls

between Winnemuca, NV and Salt Lake City, UT

I was floored by these work places that had to be driven a great distance

Beautiful Sunset on the way home

 

Some Miracles

                Our middle son had sent out a text before Christmas to inform us that one of our granddaughters was scheduled to be baptized on the 28^th and to please come.  I don’t know how may pleas he sent to indicate that our presence would be really awesome – but we didn’t have the funds.  I had asked my sister and brother-in-law if they would represent us.

          Meanwhile two days before Christmas I received notice about a bank deposit that would be made into our account – but not until this month.  Jaime kept on telling us if we could find a way we ought to go.  And so we left the house the day after Christmas to make the drive to Utah and surprise the family.

          We had stopped at a rest stop and I opened the back door to retrieve something – though not the 8 CDs that fell to the wet ground.  A man at the stop had noticed – even though it was dark.  He asked if he could help me.  I was so grateful to have this stranger’s assistance.

          After arriving in Utah we checked into the Hampton Inn as that and the Fairfield were the two closest to where my son and family live.  Richard learned that the clerk was from Oregon and they chatted for a bit.  We were given a discount – another miracle.  Another blessing.

          Our son called right after we checked in to inform us that his daughter was sick and the baptism had to be rescheduled. So much for surprising him the way we had planned.  I called my sister to let her know.  Her family is sick as well and so they would not have made it.  We were in town with sick family – but it had not been a waste.  We had prayed about it.  It’s just that if we had known on Thursday we would have turned around and returned to Myrtle Creek.

          We decided to surprise them anyway and showed up at their doorstep.  We were not greeted with the enthusiasm I had envisioned.  Ryan seemed put out or annoyed – yes we had waken him up on his day to sleep in – but hey, if my parents stopped by to surprise me, I don’t care how tired I was, I would hug them both and cry tears of gratitude.  I wouldn’t scold them because the baptism had to be postponed.

          Two of the kids seemed happy to see us.  We ended up taking the entire family out for breakfast and made a quick trip to the dollar store said our good-byes and headed back towards Oregon – though a different route as the snow had slowed us down during some of the drive.

          I had wanted to stop in Susanville but Richard wanted to keep going.  I should have been more persistent – but still do not have a very strong voice.  I had even less then and he did not hear me.  He really should have stopped and not continued on to Weed until the next morning.

          He claimed we had stayed at the Best Western before.  I don’t think so.  We had only been in Weed one time to my knowledge.  The Best Western was booked and we ended up at the Comfort Inn.  He didn’t think of that when he was told there was only one room left and instead of waiting for me to make a decision he paid an outrageous price for the “last” room.

          I’m sorry to say I saw a miracle in somebody else’s misfortune.  The keys we had worked in a door of a room that was already occupied. Fortunately they had chain locked their door so we couldn’t get inside.  So we returned to the office.  We were put into another room which was less than half the cost. 

          I had been so good at writing down our activities and encounters the first two days.  On the return I jotted down notes of the pictures I took and the cities we were in.  I thought for certain I would have the little booklet full upon our return.  I haven’t finished.  Still trying to process it all.  Still trying to find my voice.

          Ryan texted Jaime that he had been happy to see us and did enjoy himself.  I think his thought process and emotional reaction is even slower than mine is. I suppose we could afford to go back whenever the baptism takes place.  But I don’t think we will.  Richard and I are definitely as young as we used to be.  Our bodies have informed us they no longer enjoy road trips.  And I really have no desire to ever get on a plane again.

          Miracles continue.

In the Fire

           I have not set any new years resolutions – nor do I feel the need to wait until New Year’s Day to do so. 

I have been sick (off and on –though mostly on) for going on six weeks now.  I suppose I could have COVID – I never think about possibly having it until weeks after the fact. 

Richard and I took a quick trip out of town.  I noticed miracles along the way and have written them down.

I haven’t had much of a voice for the last eight days or so – possibly more (I’ve also been disoriented through this whole ordeal; grateful I don’t have a sinus infection) but am getting closer to being heard – though I sound like a cross between a chipmunk and one who may have swallowed razor blades.

So I do have thoughts in the fire.  Hopefully they don’t all get consumed and go up in smoke.  I need more motivation.

Lose the Bear; Use Glass Jars

                 I don’t know why I don’t just pour the honey from the plastic bear shaped container into a jar to start with – or why the honey companies don’t do it.  Why bear shaped plastic?  Oh, it’s cute – but very impractical.  Perhaps it’s less costly than glass jars – perhaps more practical when shipping.   But why the bear?  Honey crystallizes.  Boiling helps.  But so much easier to boil a glass jar than a plastic bear.  And trying to scrape out what gets stuck in the nose or ears - I feel like I'm being cheated at getting all my honey. Just saying.

Changing of the Guards

                I love our new bishop.  LOVE Him.  No, it is not my husband – but they are the same age.  Mike is a mechanic who used to have a business downtown, but retired.  He is the nicest man.  He’s the father of eight.  Four were at the ward today.  Three are inactive.  It was great to see the support.

               I thought that the Elders Quorum would be released and announced, but that was not the case.  Our former bishop was advanced to a high counsel position.  Hmm.  My husband is now ward clerk – the only position I ever remember my dad having served.  Guess we will be taking two cars to church from now on.

Christmas Present for the Ward

          Our ward has seemed to dwindle in attendance since we first moved in.  Some have left our ward due to moving out of the area or moving on to the other side.  We’ve had some move in – but where is the activity?  It has always been an older ward; the daytime activities seem more well attended than night time.

           The activities committee had set up and decorated Thursday morning to afternoon.  It was beautiful.  A lot of work went into it.  They had set up an overflow room.  But as it was not all the tables filled up.  I don’t know why.  Last year we seemed to have had people coming out of the woodwork.  I felt smooshed as though there was no elbow room. 

           This year they had planned for 125 people.  I think there may have been sixty people.  Maybe.  Lot of food.  An announcement will be made tomorrow.  Changes we’re not supposed to talk about.  Speculations on my part.  I do know who the new ward clerk is going to be.  Many will be called and set apart tomorrow.  I know I’m not supposed to say anything – but I don’t think anybody from my ward reads my blog – especially on Saturday.  Why would they read the very day I post it.  And after tomorrow they will already know.

           Young Women and Relief Society will remain the same.

Better than 2022 but still not high on the list

              And so the traditions continue . . . .

         I feel the same as I did just two years ago – when we postponed Thanksgiving because all of us were sick – except Jaime.  But this year it’s only me – unless Jaime has a sinus infection.  She says her jaw hurts and Roland threw out his back.  We did have Thanksgiving.  There were seven of us. 

         I had invited my friend Carolyn when I thought it was just us.  But Richard wanted to invite Biff and his two. He also invited a member from our ward who will be going through a divorce and is having a hard time with it.

         I did not play games with them but opted to do dishes instead.  Found homes for all the leftover food.  My head is throbbing currently.  That is new.  This morning it was just a sore throat.  Dang

Gene-Fam-al-His-ogy-

             Our ward had an activity on Saturday.  I was asked to give a spiritual thought in relation to said activity – which was on family history.  I thought I would just give a quick and short thought about why we have family history and sought inspiration.  I listened to a conference talk given by Elder Nelson (now president) had given in 1994 which mentioned “genealogy” being replaced with “family history” which for me opened a whole new floodgate of questions.  

Curiosity got the better of me and I researched dates and information related specifically to downtown Salt Lake. By the time I had finished my research I had enough information for a talk though unless specifically assigned the family history topic it is not a talk that I’ll ever give from the pulpit. 

So my thought was:

“Genealogical Society of Utah started exactly 130 years and 3 days ago.  So what is the difference between Genealogy and Family History.  I would love to give you the reference but this quote came up as an IA overview, but I thought it was such a good quote I thought I would share it.

“Genealogy is the “bones” of a family tree and family history is the “flesh” that brings it to life.”  

I concluded with another quote:

President Spencer W. Kimball taught that “our great part in this aspect of missionary work is to perform on this earth the ordinances required for those who accept the gospel over there.”

I did not share any dates or discoveries that I had made as I researched the history specifically of the family history library located in Salt Lake.  

 According to Russell M. Nelson (GC Oct 1994, who at the time was an elder and not prophet, seer and revelator) the Genealogical Society was organized on November 13, 1894.  I remember going to the church office building where the Genealogical Society was on an upper floor.  I don’t know that it was really open to the public per se – I was always with a group and had assumed prior arrangements had been made. 

I remember searching through large books with legal documents containing family group sheets and either copying the information by hand or most likely using the copy machines and adding said information to my very own Book of Remembrance.  How grateful I am that the legal paper is a thing of the past. 

 Apparently the family history thing (then tacked with the name genealogy) became a hot item during the 70’s thanks in part to Alex Haley.  The Genealogy Library in Salt Lake was not built until October 1985. The name was changed to the Family History Library almost two years later in August 1987.  For a good while there people came to Utah to use the Family History Library, my aunt being one of them.  She would sleep in the extra bed we had, leave in the morning, spend the entire day downtown, and return at night to sleep.

On January 10 last year the name was changed to FamilySearch library to accompany the online source which is available world wide.  How blessed we are to literally have so much information at our fingertips and do not have the expense of traveling to one destination or back and forth to several. 

 The children’s songbook was initially published in 1989.  On page 94 is the song “Genealogy – I Am Doing It” also changed to “Family History– I Am Doing It”.  I remember hand writing the new words but cannot find the book I used.  The second verse is the same but the first us different – except for “progenitors” (that’s a big word for primary kids) I like the flow of the “Family History” lyrics as opposed to the “Genealogy” ones.

 

Geneology – I am doing it, my geneology

                  Fam’ly history—I am doing it, My fam’ly history.

And the reasons why I am doing it

                  And the love I feel when I’m doing it

Are very clear to me

                  Is very sweet to me.

I will keep my book of rememberence;

I learn stories of my progenitors;

I’ll write my history.

I write their history.

It’s a record of my family

I keep records of my loved ones

My geneology

On my own fam’ly tree.

Ignorance

 

I am absolutely floored by 

the amount of ignorance that 

exists in this country.  

Making Trump a president was 

NEVER a good idea.  

But now – 

KNOWING he’s a felon – 

impeached twice but never prosecuted.  

Why not?  

What is wrong with us?  

Richard thinks he will die in office.  

I wonder if it will be natural causes or 

if he gets assassinated.  

Probably by an ignorant fan who 

had voted for him.  

I hope when Vance is running the country 

he will show us common sense that 

seems to have been lacking for 

the last 5 or so years.

A New Perspective

               The ward had announced the upcoming primary program – which was held today.  I had a much better attitude towards it this year than in years past.  I looked for the joy as the upcoming lesson for Relief Society was taken from Elder Kearon’s talk (here) 

And reminisced of past posts here and here

                I truly did experience joy.

DL Trial and Persistence

 

        I don't know what it is like in other states or if COVID is to blame for the system or what have you - but just being able to land a test driving appointment is no small feat.  A person has to visit the site not only daily but multiple times throughout the day - hourly if possible.  Jaime started her search in June or July and finally landed an appointment with the Roseburg DMV on September 9th but continued her search until something opened up in Canyonville.  September 10.  Had we known then what we know now we would have just kept both.

We arrived a half an hour early to appointment.  The room was the busiest I have ever seen it. She wasn’t able to check in until 15 minutes prior to the appointment time.  We had proof of insurance but no expiration date.  She was dismissed and could not take the test.

We were given information for third party testing – which she did in Roseburg.  The instructor had her turn onto a one way street – which she has never done before.  She made the turn for the furthest lane over and was failed.  She didn’t know.

She was gracious about it afterward saying it was probably a blessing that she hadn’t been tested in Canyonville and had to learn about the one ways as Ashland is full of them and she would like Ashland to be a regular destination.

Meanwhile I checked DMV on a daily basis and signed her up for multiples.  Her first appointment was in Roseburg – their waiting room was a far cry from Canyonville – more empty seats – no waiting at all.  They took her before the allotted check in time.  She was told she ran a red light which she says she did not do.  Next appointment: Grants Pass. 

Grants Pass is what I consider the halfway mark between here and Medford Temple.  The drive was between 40 and 60 minutes.  When we arrived there was a line outside the doors.  Everyone was being turned away due to the servers being down.  The biggest problem – Jaime didn’t even want her license.  Why all this hassle for something she doesn’t even want?

The last test she took was in Roseburg.  Meanwhile I had booked four more appointments – three in December.  Thankfully she passed at her last appointment (third party taken Oct 7) and in an unfamiliar car. Another from the friend group received his the following day.  She thought she would be the last of her friends to get her license but had him beat by 25 hours. 

Yesterday she took her first long drive by herself.  She went to Medford to meet a group of friends and drove herself home after the activity.  I am so happy for her and pleased with her decisions.  She really is an awesome human being!

Teacher’s Training

           When I was in primary I remember a class that was given to the instructors once a month – at least it seemed it was once a month and somewhere along the line that changed to once a quarter.  I loved that class.  I wish it had been better attended.  I guess some classes were well attended.  The ones I had attended were not.  I guess that’s why it dwindled.  A couple of years ago the class was offered on a Saturday morning with breakfast as an insentive.  One of these classes was offered the last Saturday in September.

          Our second counselor drives 45 minutes from Tiller.  He walked in a few minutes late and was wearing sports shorts and a baseball cap.  I wasn’t offended in any way, but thought it odd.  He then got up to teach and told us to grab some doughnuts and he would return in just a few.  When he returned he was dressed as he normally is on Sunday and introduced the lesson with “dressing for the role to be taken seriously” . . . he then asked a few of us about our garden, job, week, etc.  and proceeded to give a really great lesson.  Reminders to come prepared and have a backup just in case.

          On Sunday I was on my way to church and accepted an assignment to teach a primary class.  I looked over the lesson about ten minutes before hand and adapted some of the things I had learned the morning prior.  It went well for me.  I still don’t miss being in primary.  I do enjoy being in Relief Society.