Sunday, October 16, 2011

Dear Skype,

I knew it was fun to speak to my sister in the next time zone; it's even better to talk to someone halfway around the world! I love you, Skype!!!
Love, mg



Just got off of skype and had a chance to talk really quickly with my parents. They are serving in Francistown, Botswana, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sounds like they won't be sleeping for the next 18 months. There is lots of work there to do. They have one branch and two units. They said it is HOT and they have a little car. Random little facts, I know, but when you only get a few minutes, the conversation and questions are rather scattered.

Happy Birthday to my dear dad! It's his birthday today. Mom said they even had a little party for him there. Here's to a big adventure for you and Mom!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Departures



Today was the day. I finally had to say goodbye for the last time for real. I met the missionaries and their adorable chauffeur (Tony) at the airport this morning bright and early. Three of dad's sister were there too, Muzette, Sherry, and Marvalee. (Aaron told me tonight that Sherry is Muzette's side kick - where does he come up with these things?)



It is strange how much the airlines have changed since I went on a mission. After they checked in we really didn't have anywhere to go to say goodbye or even wait with them. Sister Grandma (my newly coined name for her - Elder Grandpa for dad) took Alex on a walk on the moving sidewalks. He really thought they were the bomb - those and the escalators.



We took a few pictures and really had to say goodbye quite quickly. The lines to the security were getting longer and I think they were a bit anxious to get through them on time.





I was proud of myself - I didn't cry too much at all. I think Mark was a bit worried about me after all my crying late last night, but I was a big girl. I just feel a little like an orphan now.

Dad said that while he was at the MTC he realized he had a pretty good companion and that he was glad Mom was going to be with him this time around. Mom joked the first time they had to teach there Dad did all the talking. They were pretty excited, and it seemed a little strange to see my mom wearing her Sister Woolf tag. I am so excited for them!



I really don't have a super great camera, so I am sorry to my siblings that these aren't the best pics - they'll just have to do. Mom was cute and got the grandkids a little something to remember them by. It has already been carried all around the house tonight. I am hoping he makes it the whole 18 months. Alex seems to really like the little guy.


Love me some Tony.


And so does Alex.


A special thanks to the guy who "isn't a part of the LDS community" who took our group picture. He's almost as great of a photographer as I am. I had include it even though it's a blur.



Mom wanted to do a "Call to Serve" wave. I ran over to try and get the pic while she was trying to explain to dad what he was suppose to do. I am not sure he really got it. Didn't he ever watch that video? Remember when mom got that video for Christmas, just after Brandon went on his mission. It must have been Tony that had her name. What I can remember is him being so excited about giving it to her, and when he did, he had to tell her how much it cost and that dad helped him buy it. Maybe that was one of my crazy dreams? But I'm pretty sure we all had a good laugh about that Christmas.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Conversations in the kitchen

I have no idea what he was doing, but after dessert tonight Aaron grabbed the garbage can and hugging it said, "Hey sexy, lady." He then pretended to kiss it.

Me: "Ah, Aaron, what does that word mean? Sexy?"
Aaron: "You know, Mom!"
Me: "But I want to know what you think it means."
Aaron: "Tell her, Ethan!"
Ethan: After a short pause. "It means you're really beautiful. Like you, Mom."
Me: (Trying not to laugh and wondering why their dad always misses conversations like these) "But you wouldn't tell me I was really sexy would you?
Aaron: "No, you're just really pretty, Mom."

At least that one is settled!

Missionaries

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

Last night as I was trying to get the kids in bed the phone rang. As I picked up my phone, to my surprise it was my mom calling. Wait? Isn't she suppose to be at the MTC? I hurried and picked up.
"Mom? What are you doing? Is it okay that you are calling?" I joked.

Fortunately as senior couples you have several perks that younger missionaries don't. I knew my parents didn't want to be getting a call from me when I was at the MTC. That would only mean trouble. She sounded so happy and said that she and dad were having a great time. The MTC normally gets 30-40 senior couples. That particular week they had 102 couples. Needless to say, there wasn't enough room for everyone there. Can you guess where she was calling me from? The Marriott!

"So, do you get to eat your breakfast there too?" I joked some more.

She didn't talk long. She had homework to do. They were getting ready to present the first discussion. I loved how excited she was and how happy she sounded. It certainly made it fun to talk to her and not feel sad at all.

Now on to my other missionary story. I only tell this portion because it really just makes me laugh.

As a missionary we hated when people would dog us and our teaching appointments. I remember the one time it was almost okay. This sweet lady wrote us an apology for not being able to keep the appointment and left us a bag of cookies because she felt so badly about it. Well tonight I was dogged once again. This time it was by the missionaries themselves.

I just keep hoping that these two are okay and that nothing bad happened to them. I signed up at church to feed the missionaries. Mark made arrangements to come home early so we could accommodate their schedule. The appointed time came and no missionaries. We waited. And then we waited some more. The boys really were excited about having the missionaries over to our home so I felt badly that it didn't work out. Finally, after 45 minutes we sat down to the table. I kept waiting for the doorbell to ring, but it never did.

As you can imagine, we had plenty of food for dinner. I may not have to cook tomorrow! It really wasn't a fancy dinner or anything. I was just a little frustrated that they never called to cancel or tell me what was going on. I even stressed out that the cake I made didn't look so great and made frosting to jazz it up a bit. I confessed to Mark that the only reason I made the frosting was because of the missionaries. He didn't seem to mind that they elders never showed up. He was just happy to have chocolate frosting on his zucchini cake.

Next time I talk to my mom, I'll remind her not to flake out on their dinner appointments.