Visits to the Salt Lake Cemetery

With both of our parents buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, it was nice to visit their graves.  We went to Rob's the day before Memorial Day - they are right by the road in the upper part of the cemetery.  They always said that they chose that spot so they could look down on the baseball field just over the fence and watch a game on Resurrection morning!  

We looked for my folks' graves as well, but couldn't find them.  I had to go online to find where they were located.  Even then, it was a little tricky.  We came back one day after work to officially locate them.  I love Peter Rabbit under Nonny's name and the duck under Poppy's.  

We want to come back another time and bring flowers, too!  

(By the way, we don't have grave plots.  We don't even know where we want to be buried, or we may have to be cremated!  I, personally, am planning on living until the Savior comes again and be twinkled! )

Our First Year in Review

One year ago today, we left Atlanta to drive out to Salt Lake City for our mission.  It was such an exciting time, although it was easier on our first mission to just get on the plane.  In spite of the distance, we made it in two days – just too excited!

Now looking back on our first year, we have had so many experiences:

Being with family

We were able to live with my brother Bert and his wife Chris, renting their cute basement apartment – it has been so sweet to be able to be with my brother and his family more, since we moved away from Utah 47 years ago.

We helped our son Bryan in Provo while he was doing heavy demolition and remodeling on a new home.

Our daughter Heather in Provo stayed with us every other Friday night while she attended her Executive MBA program with BYU at the Salt Lake Campus. 

Rob has been able nearly weekly to take his older brother David (with Lewy Body dementia) out for different events and excursions. 

We were able to help my German brother-in-law with his family history and then take him with my sister to be sealed to his parents and grandparents.

Every one of our children with their families have been able to visit us in our offices and have lunch here.

We helped Annette, Rob’s brother Doug’s widow, get ready for a move to a smaller house.

We were able to visit with all of our siblings and their families who live out here.

We were able to attend our grandson Alex’ sealing back in Atlanta on Mother’s Day weekend (one of the perks that senior missionaries are able to do – leave their mission for important family events!)

We had an amazing family reunion at Bear Lake with all of our children and nearly all of the rest of their families – 40 of us!

Being with friends

We have had a number of visits with dear friends, not only from our mission in the Dominican Republic:

Crismons, Hammons, Fords, Snows (we stayed at their wonderful home in Roosevelt one weekend), Rees, Carole Hyde, Cozanne Wallace, Eichbushes (including dinner at Olive Garden), Joann Bair (lunch with her, Sherry Brown, and Sandra Glazier), Despains (breakfast at Burger King in Logan), Ruckers, the Lows who we ran into at the Nauvoo Café one day, Rafael Gutierrez (our manager in the DR) and Georgina his wife, Marilyn and Ray Anderson who took our place in the DR, the Mortensens, the Walkers as they were trained before going on another medical mission in Chili, Lidia Alcantara from Santo Domingo who was in our mission, and Devn, Elaine, and Reid Cornish, both from our mission and Atlanta. 

but also from back in Georgia –

·        Kaesi Coleman at her daughter’s wedding reception

·        Ken and Brenda Lord at their daughter Becky’s wedding reception

·        Stephanie Johnson and her folks at her wedding reception

·        Former sisters Hawkins and Stenquist who were missionaries in Georgia

·        Karen Findlay as she was leaving on her mission

·        Linda Remund, David and Linda Elefson and the Savoldi’s who we work or worked with here

·        Karen and Andy Jones who we ran into on Temple Square

·        Darlene Holladay and a nice visit in her daughter Sandra’s home here

·        Dinner with the Roti’s from the Atlanta Temple who were leaving on a mission to the Kiev Temple

·        Travis Jordan from Snellville Ward who works In our same department

·        Mark Romney who we worked with in the Atlanta Temple and is now out here

But our mission has not been all play and no work.  We have learned about the amazing translation and interpretation program of the Church and all that is being done to being the Gospel to all the world.  We have learned a number of new computer programs, including Work Front, Clarity, Fogbugz, Event Central, etc.  We have been up at 2 am Sunday morning for a broadcast and found ourselves “trapped” on the 26^th floor while the firemen checked out a possible fire in our offices above (it was just a heating belt).  We have worked with wonderful people from all over the world and learned a little of their lives whether in Ghana or Moscow or Albania. 

We are so grateful for this past year and are looking forward to whatever the coming year will bring. 

A Solar Eclipse and President Monson's birthday

Not a lot of verbage here.  Jill was down at the Plaza just south of the Church Office Building with a number of others watching the eclipse.  At the same time, Rob was parked up on the east side of town videoing and filming from there.  The photos below are some that were taken by a fellow missionary.

At the end, someone looked up and saw President Monson in his apartment looking down.  Everyone starting singing "Happy Birthday" to him because it was also his 90th birthday this day.

Missionary Activity Group

At the very beginning of our mission, we received our first training with our missionaries who had just come from the MTC.  Here we are with the then mission presidency: Elder and Sister Hansen (who are over our zone), Elder and Sister Oliver (who were released shortly afterward to go home), the Tates, our mission president, and the Larsens (who served our whole first year until their release).  The 20 of us were assigned as a group, and we named ourselves the August Gatherers.  At the beginning, we were assigned as the coordinators, but then had another couple, the Lees, take over when Rob was made a zone leader.  

Every month we have done something with the group, with each couple taking a turn to be in charge.  We began with a pot luck dinner, and then we have had a puzzle night, a fun getting to know you night, a presentation about Israel by Dan Rona, a presentation by the Garffs and their temple experience, a presentation about the JSMB by Chris, and a number of other things.  Here are some photos from some of these activities.

Puzzle night at the Lee's (Sparrows and Dell's next to Robt)

Sisters Elmore, Bollinger, Kappel (Oregon) and with me.

Nimers with Sister Lee at the last table.  It was such a fun night. 

Sisters Bollinger (Utah) and Elmore (Oklahoma)- we were their home/visiting teachers when we first arrived.

The Nimers (California) and Watsons (Utah)at the Aloha dinner farewell party.

The Fairchilds (they were our home teacher/visiting teacher as the beginning of our mission as well) who went home to Denver - we expect to see them on our way back to Atlanta when we are released.  

Here is Sister Nimer in the print shop museum.

Here we are chatting in the lobby before the tour began.

Sisters Elmore, Neff, Kappel, and Bollinger singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

at a poetry reading night!

 Penny Sessions from Arizona 

Sister Dell from Bountiful

William Dell from Bountiful, too

Nelda Neff

The whole group at our last activity together - we will miss them so much - Such great people!!

We Get to See Old Friends

One of the things that has been for fun us since we have been out is seeing so many of our friends who have either stopped by while they are out here, or have been coming for training at Church Headquarters before leaving on missions.

Probably the first one that we saw after we came out here was Daeshaun White, Clay's godson, who was brought out by Clay to attend LDS Business College for the coming year.  They spent the night at our house while they were trying to find Daeshaun housing and furnishings (thanks to Heather, he was able to borrow a bed and mattress).  They found all.  Since then, we have had lunch with Daeshaun a number of times.  We visited the College campus with him, and then he came up to see our offices.

In the fall, we were able to go to Kaysi Coleman's daughter's wedding reception and see Kaysi from Sugar Hill Ward - alas no picture :-(. The same thing happened with David and Cindy Parente who were here for a nephew's wedding.

We visited with and had dinner with the Roti's from our Atlanta Georgia temple shift who were receiving training before heading the to Kiev Temple as missionaries - brave folks!

The night that we were going to attend the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert, we were eating dinner at Kneaders in City Creek.  And who should be at an adjoining table but Irene Larson Bole, a childhood friend, and her husband!  It was such a treat to see her and to all visit for a little while.  Then Santa joined us for a picture!

John Gerritsen, who was a missionary companion to Rob in Argentina over 50 years ago, and his wife came to see our offices.  After dinner at the COB cafeteria, they took us over to the Church Museum, where they work on Wednesday nights, to see the exhibits there.

In March,  Carl Bowman, a dear friend of over 45 years from Midland was able to pop up to see us while visiting with his family out here.   His mother had served in the translation department about 60 years ago when he was young.

Who should we run into on Temple Square but Andy and Karen Jones from our old Snellville Ward days!  We were running to catch Trax to go to the airport for Alex' sealing, so we only had times for hugs and a photo.

Karren and Doug Hammer treated us to dinner at the Little America hotel. Karren and I have been friends since we were about four years old.  They moved to Michigan the same time we did where Doug, who was a Pi Kap with Rob at the U, attended the University of Michigan to get his masters in Public Health.  He has been the Legal Counsel for Intermountain Health Care for many, many years. We have enjoyed their friendship so much through the years.

Ken and Leslie White, whom we have known for nearly 30 years, came to visit us when she was in Salt Lake attending her high school reunion.  We encouraged them to get together after the death of Ken's spouse and Leslie's earlier divorce.   We have done some fun things with them through the years, so it was neat having them come here... This picture was taken at the Discovery Zone in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  You get to choose a scene that is projected on a green screen - so here we are at Bryce Canyon!