Beneath the Wraps

       My mom and dad sent four children on missions.  Each of us has a testimony of the gospel.  Three of us talk less about our missions than my dad did about the navy (not much; it was a good experience, but certainly not the best two years)  Corey is the only one who has kept in touch with former companions and those he served.         Same with my boys.  Aside from their homecomings, I had never heard either one of them mention his mission.  It's not to say that we didn't grow from it or have any positive memories to share - it's just a part of our past that tends to stay there for the most part.        I loved the MTC.  I loved my district.  I had been assigned to go to Virginia, Roanoke mission, while my MTC companion was being sent to West Virginia, Charleston.  We rarely ever stated what cities we'd be going to.  People would a...

            The Best Two Years was released two months before Jenna was born.  I LOVE that movie.  We had it on VHS.  I think it had been given to one of the boys for Christmas – or perhaps it had been a gift to all of us.  I don’t remember.  For a while there, I had been watching it for at least once a month.        I don't fully identify with the characters . . . I never learned a foreign language.  I knew Elders who lived with two sets.  I don't know of any sisters that have lived in more than one pair. . . .  but I can relate all of them to different Elders I had served with in my mission.         On the last birthday I had in Utah (less than two weeks before our move to Oregon) Tony and Rochelle gave me a CD of The Best Two Years .  Actually, a set of CDs.  One contained the movie released ...

        Nicki is Rochelle's sister.   She's not in any of the family pictures that were taken at Tony and Rochelle's wedding 5 1/2 years ago.   I was not aware that she even had a third sister.   All of them have an "L" sound at the end of their name - but Nicki has chosen to go by her middle name.   I think Rochelle told me that Nicki had withdrawn herself from the family and started to go by Nicki at that time - though I could be wrong.   I actually don't know Rochelle as much as I'd like.   I certainly don't know her family - only what Tony paints for me - which is less than flattering.   But Tony always sees the lemons rather than the potential of lemonade.         Rochelle's mother passed away only two months after she and Tony married - which wasn't a great surprise; neither of her parents was in the best of shape, but I somehow believed that Rochelle's dad would go fi...

Most of these were taken at Millsite.  The first and the last were at Stewart Park in Roseburg our yard

          Recently I had gone through my flash drives in search of a scrapbook that I had scanned.   During my search, I came across the following unfinished thoughts and added covers.   This is what my blog used to look like   It's been nearly five years since I started my blog.  I wonder if it is time for a new makeover.  I created this cover near the end of 2012:. and here are some thoughts that never got posted as they felt incomplete at the time 2012 March 19 Apple Pie & Coffee             Roland often tells the experience of a man he had worked with several years ago.   The man had come from another country and knew very little English.   But he could place an order for “apple pie and coffee” – just “apple pie and coffee”.   His mouth became weary after eating so much apple pie.   He wanted to orde...