Mission Reunion

We spent the day doing some shopping, visiting, baking, etc.  Then, it was time to get ready and head to the University of Utah Institute of Religion building where our 20 year mission reunion was being held! We'd told Soeur Allen (our mission mom) that we would come early to help set up.

It was wonderful to see President and Soeur Allen again!  They haven't changed a bit - they are such as warm and happy as they were 20 years ago.  It was a little weird to find out that they were the same age as I am right now when they were called to be our mission president.  (Yikes!)  It was great to finally get a big hug from President Allen!

They had a lot of write-ups and memories from missionaries displayed and it was neat to read and remember.  There were lots of family pictures too that were fun to see.

I was SO thankful that my picture was NOT displayed!  (I have it at home!)  These pictures were used in the mission field to show companionships and what cities we served in.  My picture was so horrible (I'd got caught in a rain/wind storm and still took the picture anyway - what was I thinking?!) Everyone got a kick out of seeing our 20 year younger selves... and sometimes it was the only way we recognized each other - by matching up names!

 Everyone brought snacks to share and I loved seeing the large cowbell displayed.  It made me ache to head back to Switzerland.  We have yet to make it back - but we will... someday!

As people arrived and came in to the gym, I was excited to see my very last companion that I'd had in the field - Soeur John!  We haven't seen each other since the mission field, so it was great to catch up a bit.  She's still just as hilarious as I remember!

After visiting in the gym for a couple hours, we all went in to the chapel for a program. I really just wanted to keep visiting (if truth be told), but I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming feeling of mission unity that I felt as the chapel filled and we opened with the hymn "Tout au sommet des monts".  What a power to hear us all singing in french again.  It has been far too long!  President Allen did a quick - "Where did you come from?" and a "What cities did you serve in?" activity.  Mission slang was shared and laughed at.  Elder Van Tonder sang 'Souviens Toi".  President and Soeur Allen told us about their recent mission service in Lebanon.  It was just a wonderful experience to feel like we were missionaries again.  We finished the meeting with the song "Faith in Every Footstep" - a song we sang frequently in the mission field.  

We were able to keep visiting in the gym afterwards and get some pictures taken!

 Soeur Syzmanski came with her husband, David.  She served in the same city as Lennard.

 Here's the one and only picture that Trisha and I managed to get together!

Of course, we had to get a picture with the Allen's!

 Lennard with a couple of his mission companions: Brandon Howard and Logan Clark.

 At the end of the evening, we managed to get a group picture of all the missionaries that were there.

We were almost the last to leave.  I am so grateful that we decided to attend.  It was such an amazing evening with so many wonderful memories shared.  I love that Lennard and I are able to share the same mission, even when our experiences were different.  It makes me want to go finish my mission albums that got started and never completed.  Our missions shaped us so much and we wouldn't have ever met if it hadn't been for our missions (not that that is why we went!).  We have been so blessed by serving missions.

Trip to Utah

About a month or so ago, we were informed that our 20-year mission reunion would be this April!  (How has it possibly been that long already?!)  We didn't think much about going, as it is a long drive for a few hours of meeting with friends, but, not long after hearing about the reunion, I got a message from one of my favorite mission companions asking if I was going.  She lives and teaches school in China and we haven't seen each other in about six years.  She said that she was thinking about going, so I immediately switched gears and told her that if she was going - so was I!  A week or two later, I got an e-mail with her flight itinerary, so we 'begged' my parents to watch the kids for us so that we could go to the reunion!  We had to quickly get our passports renewed (they arrived two weeks before we left).  Thankfully, my parents were able to watch the kids, so bright and early this morning we headed out to Utah!

We wanted to be on the road by 6:00am, but the kids were both in tears about us leaving.  It took a few snuggles to get them calmed down and excited for their time with grandma and grandpa, but they were both smiling when we left.  Thankfully, the roads were great!  We got to watch the sun come up!

When we got to the border, the guard asked us where we are from and where we were going.  When we said we were from Cardston and going to Salt Lake, he just looked at us and said, "I don't even need to ask what you'll be doing there." Then, when I asked if he'd had lots of people coming through going to SLC, he laughed and said we were from the "from the Salt Lake of Canada".  We got a good laugh out of that.  Lennard, of course, had a few questions directed to him about his cast and what the knob sticking out of it was.  After we left the border we came up with a bunch of replies that probably wouldn't have won us any friends at the border... ie - smuggling pouch, liquor flask, drug pouch. Good thing we aren't stupid enough to joke about it there though!

We made really good time to Utah and made it there around 5:00ish.  We stopped to get something to eat at Olive Garden and were able to use their wifi to FaceTime the kids.  We ate so much that we needed to walk around a bit, so we headed over to Costco to wander.  It rained quite a bit on the drive down, so I bought an umbrella there.  Everyone was making comments about us walking out of Costco with ONLY one item!  We also went in to Seagull Books and looked around.

The blossoms and flowers were all blooming while we were there and I LOVE seeing signs of Spring.  Even if it will be a bit longer for us to get there in Canada.

We still had plenty of time before we had to pick Trisha up at the airport, so we decided to go to Temple Square.

We haven't been to the Church History Museum since it was re-done, so we managed to get in an hour before they closed for the night.  It is a beautifully done museum and we would love to take the kids sometime.  They now have a large kid area to play in that I know Emma and Ben would love.

 After the museum, we walked around Temple Square and went in to the Visitor's Center.  Lennard hasn't been as many times as I have, so it was fun to explore and see it through his eyes.

We took a short nap in the van until it was time to head to the airport and managed to time it perfectly.  We were able to park right up front, walk in directly to where baggage claim was, wait about 10-15 minutes and Trisha arrived!  It was SO good to see her again!  Within five minutes of her arriving, her bag was there and we were on our way to Sandy to stay at her sister's house.  Most of the time driving there was spent talking about Trisha's life in China and all the travelling she gets to do. We got to Marcie's house about 11:00 and shortly afterwards got to bed.  We were all exhausted. Trisha had been traveling for almost 24 hours and we'd had a long drive.  Marcie and her husband have nine children and are expecting their 10th, so we were surprised when they kicked a couple of their girls out of their room so that we could have a room to sleep in.  So nice!

Music Festival

Emma got to participate in the Rotary Music Festival this year with all the Grade One classes at CES.  They did two songs, "My Dog Spot" and "Everyone Makes Mistakes".  It was a fun morning getting to go watch them perform.  Emma has been singing the songs around the house for a month, but it was neat to see all the actions that went with the song.  Mrs. Burwell (the choir director) is amazing with the kids and we are blessed to have her in our school.  Both numbers were awarded 'Superior Standing' in performance.  Good job, Grade One!

Funny Gears

We got a new toy for the kids at the Home and Garden Show... they are called Funny Gears.  They are having such a good time with them.  I love seeing their imaginations and how they figure out where the gears need to be to connect the next element that they want to add.  Ben was so proud of his creation that he asked me to take a video of it to share.  Enjoy!

Catch Up and Gymnastics Finale

It's been a super busy week last week and this week isn't any better!  Emma had her last gymnastics class on Monday (13th). On Tuesday, I volunteered at the school for Tasting Tuesday and then Emma had dance in Mountain View that I drove her out to and Ben had Martial Arts. Wednesday was our Relief Society party that the men were invited to this year.  Thursday was piano lessons and martial arts again and then, Friday, I had to be at the school for 7:30 in the morning with the kids to help make smoothies for the entire school!  Thankfully, I got to have a girls night out that night with Shannon.  We went in to Lethbridge, did a few errands and then went out to eat at Moxie's.  

Unfortunately, within a few hours of getting home, I ended up running to the bathroom all night long with food poisoning!  Yuck!  I was so exhausted by the time morning came that there was no way I could function.  Thankfully, Lennard took charge and watched the kids... all the kids... Rachel dropped her kids off while they went to the temple and one of her friends dropped off her little 2 month old as well!  Then, the neighbor kids came to play too, so he had a house full of kids!  I was able to sleep almost the entire day, but I was still not feeling well enough to go to church.

Then, it was Lennard's turn to get sick!  Good thing it wasn't food poisoning, but he was so achy and hurting and then he got a horrible cold.  He was off work on Monday and Tuesday (and that tells you how rotten he was feeling!)

The kids were off school on Monday (PD day) and they got invited out for a play date with Izzy!  Lawson and Wyatt rode their bikes with the girls and came to pick up Ben and Emma on their bikes and then head over to pick up Amy!  They all went to play at the playground for a while and then they congregated at Shannon's (being the super mom that she is!).  I came and got them just before 3:30 so that we could do a make up piano lesson (they weren't impressed!).

Tuesday (21st), I got my visiting teaching done in the morning and then in the afternoon, while Emma got carpooled out to dance, I went to Ben's parent teacher at the school.  He's doing so well.  He's one of the top students - although he doesn't like to sound out words (which we know!).  We had enough time to race home, get dinner ready and then get over to martial arts!  Lennard wasn't doing great, so I took Ben.  He was pretty excited to have me watch him.  They were learning how to spar and what kid doesn't love to hit someone with a sword!  ha! ha!

Wednesday night was Emma's gymnastics finale!  They didn't do one for her class last year, so this was our first experience with a finale.  Unfortunately, about five minutes before we left the house, she and Ben were playing tag and she slipped and whacked her face on the floor.  Her gums were cut up, she'd banged her head and she was a mess.  Thankfully she pulled it together in the half hour before the show started! She did such a good job.

Thursday, I volunteered at the Book Fair at the Elementary School for the morning.  The kids always love getting new books (although they weren't impressed that I imposed a $5 budget this time!).  It was Emma's parent teacher that night and Lennard was able to come with me to meet her new teacher.  Emma was excited to see 'both' her teachers there for it, since her new teacher has only been her teacher for a couple weeks!  She is doing extremely well and they didn't have any issues with her at all.  They just kept saying how much they love Emma in the class.  Once we got home from that it was time to inhale food again and get Ben out the door for martial arts!  Lennard took him this time.  

Friday, we took a break and went to the Home and Garden Show in Lethbridge.  The kids LOVED the Charmed Playhouse!  We got a few errands done and even took the kids out to dinner.  It was a nice break from everyone being sick!

Then, today, we got to babysit my nephews while my brother, Roger, and his wife went to the temple. I love getting to see my kids playing with their cousins.  Too cute!  We managed to get both vehicles cleaned out and Lennard got them both power washed.  It felt good to have accomplished stuff around the house!

Last Day with Mrs. Allred

When Emma was assigned the 'new teacher' at the end of kindergarten last year, she was pretty anxious about how Grade 1 would be.  To say that she has loved Mrs. Allred would be an understatement.  Mrs. Allred has been so wonderful for Emma and we are so sad to see her contract end.  She's been working her sister's maternity leave and Mrs. Aipperspach will start on Monday.

We are very thankful to Mrs. Allred for helping Emma have such a positive experience in Grade 1. Emma was quite anxious at the first of the school year and Julie was so patient and understanding with her need to know what was going on at all times! Thankfully, Emma is doing so much better with her anxiety now and she's amazing at school. We are hoping the transition to a new teacher will go well!

What a Weekend...

I usually look forward to weekends, but this weekend has been ridiculous.  I started not feeling well Friday night and by Saturday I was out for the count.  Horrible sinus cold, chills, fever, body aches, etc.  I stayed in bed almost the entire day.  Lennard got the kids breakfast and they hung out for a bit and then he was itching to go work on the plane.  He left to go to the hangar and a few minutes later, the doorbell rang.  The neighbor kids invited Emma and Ben over to play!  They were there until noon.  I made macaroni and cheese in the Instant Pot (at Ben's request) for lunch and then the doorbell rang again and the neighbor kids came in our house to play.  I managed to supervise by listening to what they were doing.  They played a bunch of games in the living room, colored pictures and then watched some shows.  I finally sent them home about 3:00.  While the kids played on electronics, I managed to doze for a bit.  Lennard didn't get home until 6:00ish and the kids hadn't had anything to eat yet, so he took them out to Subway for dinner.

Sunday came and after getting the kids through their baths and dressed for church, I went downstairs to sit up in the recliner chair since I was having trouble breathing whenever I layed down.  About an hour and half later I heard the door open and in came Emma.  I was surprised to see her and Lennard and then I found out that she wasn't feeling well.  Within minutes of getting home (and Lennard leaving to go back up to church), she threw up.  Yuck!  She was so pale and shaky.  I got her into her pajamas and snuggled up on the couch with a bucket and a short time later she lost everything again.  And so went the rest of our day!  Between me not being able to breath, Emma throwing up, Ben complaining that he wasn't feeling well (I think he just wanted some attention)... Lennard had 'fun' in a house of sickies!  Thankfully he took care of making meals for the kids.  I haven't been able to eat much in the last few days.  I finally had two pieces of toast at dinner time last night.

Emma dry heaved half the night, but she's been dancing around and singing all morning, so I guess we'll let her go to school and see how she does!  Here's hoping it was only a 24 hour bug.  I'm completely exhausted and as soon as the kids head off to school I'll be going back to bed!