Celebrating Easter

We had dinner at Heeyoung's house about a week and a half ago.  Her husband, Jun, always leaves when we're coming now.  Heeyoung says it's because he doesn't want to pretend that everything's great.  They are really struggling in their marriage.  What could be a wonderful experience--living in a foreign country for a year, is turning out to be very difficult because they are together too much. I know there is a lot more wrong than just too much time together, but this has magnified their difficulties.   Heeyoung told us that the missionaries had come by, but she had to turn them away because her husband was home.  She had talked with missionaries in Australia before (I'm not sure when she was there) and really enjoyed visiting with them.  I told her she could listen to the missionaries at my home if she wanted.  She kind of brushed that away, she didn't want a "teaching experience." So, I said, "Well, the missionaries are coming to my house for dinner Tuesday night, you could just come, too."  She agreed to that.  I gave the missionaries a heads up and told them that I didn't think she'd want a discussion, maybe just a thought.
After dinner on Tuesday night.  We went into the family room for a "thought." The missionary read a scripture and told us why it was an important scripture to him, and he was done--trying to be respectful of Heeyoung's desires.  Heeyoung said, "That was so short..." So, we ended up having a discussion on the restoration.  The first thing the missionary brought up was how we have a loving Heavenly Father and he sends us to families so that we can learn and grow.  I wasn't sure this was a good way for the discussion to go because she's having such a hard time with all of her family relationships.  The restoration was also difficult because she has absolutely no religious background.  I don't think  she even knows much about Jesus Christ.  However, the spirit was there and the missionaries had a Korean Book of Mormon that they had found in their apartment, which they gave to her.  I texted her yesterday asking how she was doing and she didn't answer me, which concerns me. (She answered me late tonight--she'd been to Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley and Natural Bridges.  She said she was done with rocks :).  She hadn't had phone service to see my text).

I had another class on the Atonement this week.  The speakers were Elder and Sister Klebingat (of the Seventy).  Elder Klebingat began his talk asking, "What makes the Lord angry?"  The two points he made were that it displeases the Lord when we "confess not His hand in all things," and when we "receive not the gift." D&C 88:33 For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift (we don't allow the gift to penetrate our spirit).  The greatest gift being the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
He said something I found interesting.  He said that he had no doubt that he and his wife would receive exaltation.  He said that because they had chosen their path, that he had no doubt they would continue on this path, and there was no reason to doubt that they would reach their goal  I appreciated this thought because we have chosen our paths.  We need to be consistently repenting and striving, but we are on the path. We know where the path leads. We are sometimes so hard on ourselves that I think it is good to remind ourselves of this.
Sister Klebingat asked "What brings us to repentance?"  The answer is "The word of God."  She quoted a couple of scriptures. Jared 1:12 And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance.  And Helaman 6:36  And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words.
Continually listening to, reading, and hearing the word of God keeps us striving to repent and keeps us on the path to exaltation.
Sister K also talked to us about our treasures.  We all know the scripture Matthew 6:19-21

19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

She emphasized that we can choose our treasures.  If we want the Sabbath Day to be a treasure, we will work to make it so.  If we want the scriptures to be our treasure, we will study them.  If you want a specific relationship  to be better, start to treasure it, and so on.  The gospel is all about change--and the atonement of Christ can truly change us. 

[Just a little correction from last week's newsletter.  I labeled the child on the swing as Maverick and mistook the beautiful skies as good weather in Texas.  That picture was Dojin and was taken in Utah.] 

I'm a lucky grandma because not many weeks go by without a visit from at least some of my children and grandchildren.  I tended Ori and Effie while Sara and Nick went to an ultrasound appointment.  I had asked Ori if she wanted grandma time or if she wanted Yuna to come over.  She chose Yuna.  So, Yuna came over and together they tried out our new swing set.  

Effie, Ori and Yuna

Ori and Effie
Note Effie's 'new look' with
her cool black framed glasses!

 We have also been able to enjoy a visit from Crista and her family--who, by the way, turned 25 this past week (Happy birthday!)

Caitlyn and Greta snuggling

1. 
   
    Ruby, chilling on the couch. (I can't delete that # 1.  I don't know how it got there)

 As you can probably surmise from reading all of my newsletters.  One of my greatest treasures is my family.  I am so blessed to have come from "goodly parents."  Doubly blessed to have a spouse that treats me as his queen.  And now, continually blessed with Roy's and my posterity.  

Elise sent me some notes on the Atonement that her mission president sent her.  In it he (then President Gessel) said, "Because bringing to pass our immortality and eternal life is His [God's] full time job, He applies Himself eternally and tirelessly and perfectly to the task of providing us with everything we need in order to fill the measure of our creation.  As we do so, He is able to have joy in His posterity, which is the ultimate meaning of human existence. 

I also loved this paragraph from President Gessel  (He quotes Tad Callister and others).

1. One of the problems with the Christian world’s view of Eden is that they see it as the ideal state for humanity. Eden for them is the Great and Spacious Cruise Ship, a place where all your needs are taken care of, where there is no struggle or trial, where all your cares can be forgotten, where you just lie back and allow others to feed and fan and entertain you. The only problem with this view of Eden as the Great and Spacious Cruise Ship is that it never reaches port. It never goes anywhere. There is no progression in the journey. Time and space and growth are all suspended as you float giddily on the ocean. Having to leave the Cruise Ship is the most horridly unimaginable nightmare. That’s why the Christian world sees it as a place that we would have loved to stay in forever, if it hadn’t been for that awful sin that Adam and Eve committed.
2. The problem with this attitude is that it totally misses the point that “heaven” is not an eternal pass to Club Med. It has created the widely accepted belief that earth life is terrible and heaven is a great escape to clouds and harps and no work and no responsibilities of any kind.
3. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this concept of heaven is that it also requires that we be freed from all the “entanglements” of mortal life, including family ties, spouses, children, friends—because, after all, we can’t have anything in our lives that might cause us to have to get up from our lounge chairs and exert ourselves to do something worldly like have a conversation. Apparently the clouds in heaven are lonely, isolated little wisps of fluffy ice crystals that separate us from everything we came to know and love in mortality. UGH!
4. Eden, of course, was not a Cruise Ship or a Club Med, any more than heaven is. Instead, Eden was a transit lounge, a germ-free passageway leading from the perfections of God’s realm and preparing us to descend into the grime and mess of an imperfect mortal world.
5. The details of the fall are not clear; the snake and some other elements of the story are likely symbolic, but we have to make sure that we don’t make the mistake that others made in the past without the benefit of revelation. We must not conclude that there was some kind of violation of the Law of Chastity that resulted in all the posterity of Adam and Eve being born in original sin. “Such a doctrine,” in the words of Elder James E. Talmage, “is an abomination.”
6. part of God’s master-plan; “not a tragic step backward; to the contrary, it was a painful but nonetheless giant step forward in our eternal journey. It was the springboard to our ascent.” (Callister, p. 41)

We had our Easter dinner Sunday night because Roy and I will be out of town the next 2 weekends.  Below are pictures from the evening.

Easter egg hunt

Matt with Greta, Jennie on floor

Dojin knows that many hands make
light work!!

Greta had fun with the Easter eggs, too.

Being funny with the phone:

Earlier in the week Sara and Jieun took the girls to the zoo.

Ori and Ruby after swimming at the Rec Center 
(She took a really great nap when she got home)

We miss Elise and Andy, Max, Mav and Bev when we have these big family events. 

Phil's letter this week included this paragraph from my dad.  My dad told me that he had a firm testimony of the truth of the gospel, but there were 3 times in his life when he had "an epiphany" or an experience that confirmed his testimony in an extraordinary manner.  This was one of those 3.  I hope I can remember the other 2.
“I had one of the most significant moments of inspiration in my life. The pavilion was set out in the form of a + arrangement. The bottom area was the entry and counter. The displays then went east and back to the center, where there was a central display of the prophet, Joseph Smith, looking upwards towards a light; then displays went north and back, then west and back. After I had completed the circuit, I arrived again at the counter. I reached out to put my hand on the counter, and when I did, I was overwhelmed with a special feeling, an unusual inspirational event, and the words crossed my mind clearly, Vernon, this church is the true church. Although I knew this already, I had a most inspiring spiritual confirmation of this truth. While these words were crossing my mind, I was completely oblivious as to where I was. When I again gained my equilibrium, I knew I had been favored with an inspired message of assurance.”

I pray that each member of my family will have spiritual experiences in their lives that will continue to confirm to them the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ (and when you do, write them down so you will 'remember'). Sherri Dew said, "The best way I know to strengthen our personal testimonies and protect ourselves from evil is to seek to have as many experiences with the Lord as possible"

Lecture series on the Atonement

This weekend we had a wonderful opportunity for service (the kind that's easy to do).  The YSA stake had invited an LDS Cadet choir (Air Force Academy) to come and participate in some activities with our YSA's.  They were performing a service--performing and sharing their testimonies, and we provided the service of hosting them.  We were able to have the only female cadet stay with us.  They arrived literally in the middle of the night Friday night.  Roy and Jennie got up at 2:30 to go pick up our cadet (Audra).  Saturday morning the leaders had a hike planned, but due to our late winter, the hike had to be cancelled.  I don't think any of the cadets minded, since it enabled them all to sleep in. Some of the YSA's met to play games at 10:00 (instead of the hike), but I don't think any of the cadets made it.  At noon we were treated to an organ recital at Temple Square.  Roy and I commented to each other how we have these wonderful free concerts in Salt Lake and the only time we take advantage of them is when we have guests.  After the concert the organist took us up to the choir seats and told us all about the organ.  There are more than 11,000 pipes.
The Cadets then had a tour of the Conference Center  Roy and I left the cadets and hurried home for a short rest and Caitlyn's violin recital.  I decided that she's about passed me up on the violin--at least in tecnique.  She did a great job.  I tried hard for a picture, but couldn't get her to look at me.

The concert given in the evening by the Cadets was fantastic.  The voices were good, some really good, but the spirit these youth brought with them was amazing.  One young cadet (19) told his conversion story.  His family are staunch Southern Baptists, he is from Kentucky.  Needless to say, they aren't terribly happy with him, especially since he told them he was going to serve a mission in Thailand.  I wish his parents could have been at that concert and heard the songs they sang about the Savior and that they could see his testimony in his countenance.  He said that the first time he read the Book of Mormon, he didn't pray about it once--because he was trying to prove it wrong.  Eventually, through the love of some members, he did pray about it.  He said that it was love that brought him into the church.  That was good for me to hear as I've been trying to share my testimony with Heeyoung.  She needs love more than anything else right now.
Jennie and Caitlyn took Audra to meet the other cadets at a YSA Sacrament meeting this morning.  She'll go back to Colorado Springs right after church.  It was a short visit and a small commitment from us, but it went really well.

The girl tn the far right is Audra.  The lady in the middle is the choir director, and the
other two girls are girlfriends of a couple of the cadets;
they came up from Provo to see their beaus and attend the concert.
  The tall boy in the middle on the back row
was the convert from Kentucky.

Nan invited me to go with her to her stake for a series of lectures on the Atonement.  I forgot to put this in the letter last week.  The first lecture was by Tad R Callister.  I'm sure some of you have read his book, "The Infinite Atonement."  I have, but it's been a long time. Elder Callister said that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the single most important thing in our lives.  He reminded us that to understand the Atonement, you must understand the Fall.  The Atonement is to correct, reconcile, and to redeem.  It is also to perfect us.
He quoted D&C 93:38  "Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God."  
He brought up a question that I don't think I've really thought about before.  He asked, "Could we sin in our premortal life?  The obvious answer is 'yes' because 1/3 of the hosts of heaven chose to follow Satan.  He talked about how the Atonement is retroactive.  It covers those sins, which is why were were able to be born innocent.  It's one of the times that the Atonement cleanses us.  We are blessed to know that there are many times in our lives when we can be cleansed and begin again.  We can even have this blessing every week if we are constantly repenting and seeking after our Savior.
Elder Callister also quoted Elder Boyd K Packer:  "...save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ. Boyd K Packer: The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness
We were also told that the scriptures help us understand the depth and breadth of the Savior's power.
This made me think that a person would have to be very close to the Savior and have a great understanding of the Atonement in order to write an entire book about it.

This is a short video that we were shown in the class.  Handel--the Messiah and Debtor's prison.  It's worth a few minutes of your time.  Handel, after writing the Messiah, put on a free performance to help the people in debtor's prison.  It's a great example of what the Savior can do for us--it doesn't matter how great or small the debt.

Callister concluded his talk asking us how we could know personally if we have been forgiven.  He said that it's very simple.  If you can feel the spirit--while you're in church, or reading the scriptures, or in whatever circumstances, then you have been forgiven or the cleansing process is in effect.


If you're not bored yet, I want to share a little of this week's lecture.  The name of the speaker was Lynda Wilson.  She's a member from Nan's stake.  She started out by telling us of a dream her sister had.  Her sister (who lives in Hawaii) was dreaming she was in the ocean with lots and lots of people around her.  Everyone was flailing around searching for a way to save their lives.  Her sister noticed that she was wearing a life preserver, but there were so many that didn't have one.  What she felt in the dream was that this was a Disaster.  When she woke up she realized that the Disaster is The Fall of man.  There are so many people in this world who are drowning.  They are flailing around looking to be saved, but they don't know how to find the way.  We have life preservers--we have the gospel, and we need to try and help those who don't. 
Sister Wilson spent quite a bit of time talking about grace.  Grace is an enabling power in our lives. 
She said that she had heard once that Salvation is free, but exaltation is earned.  She immediately went home and looked up the word "earned" in the scriptures and of course found that this word is not found anywhere in the scriptures.  We cannot "earn" exaltation.  We can only inherit it through the merits of Christ.  Christ "merits" eternal life--He is the only one. We can do all things through Christ and, as we read in John 15:5, without Him we can do nothing.
She concluded by saying "It will always be about grace. What should be our response to that grace?  We should come to know Him, love Him, and serve Him.
She also referenced the following talk.  It is definitely worth some of your time to reread and ponder.
The Living Bread: Elder Christopherson

I hardly saw any of my grandchildren this week, but I received a few pictures.

Dojin

Jieun said she had a new dog.  I was a little worried until
I noticed the picture.  

Hyeji creating pixel art.  In this case fairies.
 Yuna, where are your clothes?

makeover, done by Hyeji

Makeover-done by Jieun

a new napping place  (I'm jealous--I don't get Sunday
naps anymore, now that dad and I are on different
church schedules.

Max and Mav at the zoo.  It's their Spring Break

I also received a few videos, which all my kids saw, so I won't put them in this letter as they're slightly harder to share.

Love you all.

Adventures and Misadventures

I had quite a shock today when the 1st counselor in Relief Society (Kelly)  looked at me and asked me if I needed the podium for my lesson.  Last I'd heard, my lesson was supposed to be last week (on ward conference), so I'd been scratched off the list.  The leader (the previous 2nd counselor who has since moved) asked me if it was okay if she didn't change the whole calendar and I had a month off teaching.  I had agreed.  Somewhere in the changing of the leaders, a new list of lessons had been submitted and passed along.  The only problem was, I didn't get it.  I borrowed Kelly's Ensign and read (luckily re-read) the article from this past General Conference during opening exercises.  It was entitled Value Beyond Measure.  I had a few ideas come into my head (I would have liked some questions to magically appear also, but I'm not that lucky), I jotted them down and then winged it.  Gratefully, it's hard to mess up a good conference talk, and it's a discussion format, so all went well.

I had another shock yesterday when Roy and I were out looking at swing sets for the grandchildren.  We looked in one store and headed back to the car.  I saw the Prius, opened the door, climbed in and sat down.  I then glanced over the back seat and saw that there were no boxes from previous purchases.  That's when it suddenly dawned on me that the Prius I was sitting in was not our Prius.  I quickly climbed out and headed to our car--not the Prius.  My wonderful, thoughtful, kind, and loyal husband was standing there watching me.  He did not ask, "Where are you going?" or "What are you doing?"  He did not say, "Catharine that is not our car."  He just watched and waited.  He wanted to see how long it would take me to realize that I was being completely brain dead (with that said, I am reminded that we should not criticize ourselves because we are children of God and of infinite worth).

While that was an embarrassing experience, I am afraid that it is not my "most embarrassing experience."  I am sure I have many experiences that would clamor for the position, but one that came to mind recently was from a couple of summers past in Cancun.  We were visiting the ruins (Chichen Itza and listening to a guide.  I went up and put my hand on Roy's shoulder.  I could feel his gaze on me and turned to look at him and lo and behold, it wasn't Roy.  The man was looking at me with an expression on his face that said, "Just what do you think you're doing?".  I laughed with embarrassment and told him I thought he was my husband.  He was kind, though, because I ran into him later in the day and he said, "I want to introduce you to my 'real wife.' After that I was able to laugh it off.

I had the privilege this week of seeing Little Mermaid again.  This time I took Ori and Yuna.  I had thought the rule was they had to be 5, but when I found out the age restriction was 3, I figured this was a play that Yuna and Ori needed to see, too, so I bought three more tickets.  We took our seats about 15 minutes early.  That was a bit early to sit down for 4-year-olds.  Yuna was so excited she kept kneeling on her seat and smiling at the people behind us.  They were nice and patient, so it wasn't a problem.  Ori leaned over and said, "She's just a little hyper right now."  I had to explain to both of them why Ariel sang songs after she gave her voice away.  I have to admit that this could be confusing. I told them she was just thinking or dreaming.  At Ursula's demise, Ori asked me if she was dead.  I said she was, then when she came on stage for the bow, Ori said, "I thought you said Ursula was dead."  Both of them really enjoyed the play and they were very good.  Ori wasn't going to take any pictures, but when Yuna got in with Ursula, she changed her mind--however, when we met Ariel and Eric, she would not get in with Yuna for a picture.  One of them (I think Ori) told her parents that Ursula was really mean, but then she was really nice when we talked with her after.

Ori and Yuna.

Yuna with Ariel and Eric--I didn't realize I cut his head off. 
I was kind of in a hurry.  As you can see (if you read my last letter,
this was a different cast from the one I took the
other grandkids to.

We also saw another play this week--Barefoot in the Park, starring Sierra Christensen.  She's really a good actress.  We were a little worried about Andrew,, as in this play she played a very kissy newlywed, at least for the first scene or 2.  The guy who played opposite her was pretty cute--and unmarried.  We suggested Sierra line him up with Eliza.  We took Grandpa Rasband with us to the play, and he seemed to enjoy it, even though it ended an hour or so past his bedtime and we still had to deliver him back to Syracuse.  It made for a long night for me and Roy.  We didn't get to bed until midnight, but it was worth it to spend a little time with Verl.

Sierra with her "other husband"  We thought (after we left)
that we should have taken a picture with her since we were
able to talk to her for a minute.

Saturday afternoon Roy and I drove up to the U of U where Gunnar was involved in a Chess Tournament.  He won a trophy that said, "Outstanding."  He was pretty proud of it.  It was fun to watch him play (from a distance) though it's not much of a spectator sport.  It was fun because he was so animated, which was interesting since the rule was "no talking during the game."  They  obviously aren't strict with this rule for 1st graders.  It was also obvious that he really understands the game and the rules involved. 

Saturday night was a lot of fun.  We had decided to host our family on Saturday instead of Sunday.  Everyone came over and we had Matt start a fire in the fire-pit.  We gathered a few chairs, some roasting sticks and hot dogs and marshmallows, and let the kids cook their own dinner.  Caitlyn had set up the trampoline earlier that day, even though she was busy getting ready for a dance (girls choice) that evening.  Everyone contributed to the dinner, which was excellent, as usual. Some of us had a tender discussion by the fire that helped us to feel the spirit. 
No pictures were taken (that I know of) except this one by Matt:  He said, "Ruby, don't sit in that--but let me get a picture."

I had a hard experience earlier on Saturday.  I had invited Heeyoung to dinner with our family.  Her text read "Thank you for your consideration and kindness all the time.  I have been thought of coming to your house today.  But I think I'd better not.  Since I don't belong to your family, being with your family members remind me of what I lack of: my own parents.  At first I didn't realize but now I know now what I felt like at your house: lonlier.  I am sorry I feel like this way.  You know, I am not a normal person who doesn't have parents and supporting husband." 

This broke my heart.  I texted back to her "That makes me feel so bad.  I love having you be a part of our family for a little while." I thought a little more about this and decided that family was only part of what makes Heeyoung feel lonely at our house.  I think she feels she is missing something else in her life--the spirit.  I won't give up, though.  I think she'll still be receptive to a friendship with me (at least I hope).  They go back to Korea in June, so I don't have a lot of time. 

I tended Ollie and Finn for an hour or so when Adrienne went to her Doctor's appointment.  She is getting close.  We expect her new little one on April 10.  In this picture they are showing me their muscles.  It was a good thing to ask for, because Ollie won't usually smile for pictures.

Caitlyn ready for her dance in "80"s dress.

And Happy birthday to Barb and Char (and Crista a little later this month. 

Beverly's baby blessing

Roy and I had a ball taking our four oldest grandchildren to "The Little Mermaid" at the Centerpoint Legacy Theater.  When all of Ariel's sister's came onstage (in their modest mermaid costumes), Ollie slumped down in his seat and covered his eyes.  It was a fun moment when we realized that the Prince was being played by our Bountiful neighbor, Ben Lowell.  Of course, he was only our neighbor until he left home and got married.  The cast did an excellent job.  I think it's amazing that so much talent can be found so close to home.  These actors don't get paid, either.  They do it for the love of it.
At the end of the play, I told the kids they had to have a couple of pictures taken.  They were exhausted (Gunnar said, "I just want to go to bed."), but I was having my way this time.  Later, Ollie told his mom, "We weren't shy this time, we had pictures with Ariel and the Prince and Ursula...Now can I get one with Tiny Tim?"  Sorry Ollie, it's too late until the next time you go to Christmas Carol.

For FHE this past week, I made bread and we took it to a few families.  We took some to Heeyoung and rang the doorbell.  It looked like they were home but no one answered the door.  I didn't have my phone with me, so I called them when I got home and told them the bread was there.  Heeyoung felt terrible she hadn't answered.  She said she has some annoying neighbors so they didn't want to answer the door.  She sent me a couple of pictures of her kids enjoying the bread.

Thursday morning Roy and I headed to Texas for baby Beverly's blessing.  We didn't arrive until the evening.  Our plane was delayed by nearly an hour, but Andy kept the kids up to see us.  The weather was nice.  It was in the 70's, which made it hard to come home to a foot of snow.

When we got there we were finally able to give them the gift from the Christmas gift exchange.  It was a hit.

I tried it once but it made me dizzy.  The boys had a hard time
taking turns.  The point of the glasses--you put your i-phone in there
with an app and you have 3D

 On Friday we all went to the zoo (and more importantly, The Chocolate Bar!!!)

The first thing we did was feed the ducks.  I was almost certain Mav would walk right off the edge into the pond, but he didn't.   We had buns to feed them, but soon found we had to break up the bread for Mav because he threw in whatever we gave him.  There were turtles vying for the bread, too.  I didn't know they would eat it.

Max and Mav

Mav

Then we rode the train.  It's not connected with the zoo and it's about a 20 minute ride.  The boys love it.  And even Beverly enjoyed being outside.

Roy and Mav at the zoo.

Question: What do you get when 2 giraffe's collide?

Answer: A Giraffic Jam 

Question:  Why don't leopards like to play hide and seek?

Answer:  Because they are always spotted.

Question:  How do you stop a rhino from charging?

Answer:  You take away their credit cards.

(These puns are in honor of Matt.  They were on posters in the women's bathroom--I'm not that clever.)

The reason for Texas was, of course, Beverly's blessing.  Elise had invited Jennie Norton and her family, along with us and Andy's parents.  We got a few fun pictures before the meeting started.

Andy, Mav, Roy and Max, Catharine, Beverly and Elise

Bella, Brooklyn, Colin, Jenny, William, Jared, John, Andy Max and Mav, Elise with Beverly, Catharine and Roy (didn't I do
a good job with the names!)

At the end of sacrament meeting, an Uber driver came to pick us up and deliver us to the airport.  His name was Mohammed (which says a lot).  We had a nice discussion.  He asked Roy if he was allowed to have more than one wife which opened up a discussion on religion. I realized after I answered his question that many Muslims have plural wives.  He said they are allowed to in Pakistan (not in America), but only about 2% take an extra wife because of the expense.  He thought he wouldn't mind a 2nd wife if it weren't for that.  We told him that we believed that families were very important.  He was right with us on that one.  He told us that he was very happy that we had such a nice conversation.

Going to Texas for only 2 1/2 days (not including travel time) is exhausting.  I've gotten very little done today as "I don't travel well."  (This is sort of a joke because mom, Ila, always said that banana's "don't travel well".  I've found that bananas actually travel far better than strawberries or peaches).  I'm pretty exhausted after a long day on the plane.  Eating healthy is also hard on travel days.