I Voted

Election Day 2008 (11/04/08) was an important one. No matter who won, it was going to be historical: Barak Obama (a man of color) and Joe Biden or John McCain and Sarah Palin (a woman). At this point in time, our country is facing some very difficult issues with the economy, illegal aliens, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, national security, health care, jobs, fuel prices (even though they are dropping dramatically as I write), and many other very important issues.

I wish I could have been excited about the election, but the politics started two years before election day. They were not pretty. The media was obviously very biased toward one candidate or another. I did not feel I could depend on what they shared with the public. Email was just as biased depending on who sent it. It was difficult to know where to go for accurate information.

The only candidate I felt I could have gotten behind was Mitt Romney, not because he was a member of the church but because his values are what our country needs to move forward in a positive, healthy manner.

I was unable to make up my mind until I got to the polls and even then I'm not sure I did the right thing.

As American citizens we have spoken. Barak Obama will be our new president, Joe Biden our vice president. It is now time to get behind them and pray that they will be open to guidance from on high. I would feel the same way if John McCain and Sarah Palin had won.

Angel Mutual has Begun!

Since my last post on Special Needs Mutual in September, much has happened. We have been very busy organizing and filling board positions. We are now fully staffed with the exception of a few more advisors and specialists. We have spent a good deal of time meeting and planning.

Special Needs Mutual became a reality last Thursday evening, November 13, 2008.

I had spent the day with my mom helping deliver the Pioneer Shopper paper all the way over to Kanab and back. It was a good thing I was busy and distracted. I might have spent my day worrying about Angel Mutual.

It was a wonderful, marvelous spiritual experience! Every board member took care of their assignments without any hitches. We had approximately 48 special needs participants and about 50 youth counselors. We had some parents stick around to watch; some bishops and stake presidency members came to observe and find out what the buzz is all about. So with SN participants, youth counselors, board members and visitors, we estimate there were at least 125 people there.

I can't express the feelings I experienced that evening. The joy on the faces of the special needs individuals would have been enough for me; but as I looked around I could see the joy in the faces of the youth counselors, the parents, the adult leaders and even the visitors. President Lyman was beaming. He spent the entire evening with us moving from activity to activity. The spirit of the Lord was very keenly felt by everyone in attendance.

I spoke with a mother who had brought several special needs persons that night. She did not hesitate to tell me that she is not a member of our church, but she was amazed at what she witnessed that evening. She is so anxious to tell all her friends about SNM and encourage them to participate.

We are doing the Lords work. The miracles have already begun!

Our Trip to Virginia, Part 2 - The Vacation

Virginia. What a beautiful green place, especially if you live in the desert. After the wedding (Sunday) we drove back to South Riding via Annapolis, Maryland. We so enjoyed the waterfront area near the Naval Academy. It was like taking a step back in time by at least 200 years. It is where they used to dock and unload slaves. The highlight of our visit to Annapolis was the leisurely boat tour we took.

On our way around Washington, DC we dropped Brandon off at the subway to hook up with his friend, Blaine, who worked at the Capitol as an intern for Representative Jim Matheson. It felt really strange dropping our "innocent young son" off in such a foreboding place where he knew nothing and no one. Jaime and Lisa politely reminded us that we probably would not have done that for them so willingly. They're right in that we would have hesitated a little more. Shame on us. It's hard to remember that our children are adults now and fully capable of taking care of themselves . . .

We hooked up with Brandon the following day, spent a little time with him and then sent him back to Salt Lake on a plane. His short weekend went very quickly, too quickly for my way of thinking.

Mom and Pop flew home mid-week.

We spent a few days that week touring some of the sites in and around Washington, DC: the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center where we saw the Enola Gay (dropped the bomb on Hiroshima); the National Archives where the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are well protected; the National Museum of Natural History where the live butterfly exhibit was so fun to walk through; some needed to visit the National Gallery of Art looking for art for their homes; a personal tour of the Capitol building courtesy of Brandon's friend, Blaine.

Mid-week we made a road trip to Newark, NJ where we stayed overnight and then took a train into New York City to see the site of the World Trade Center. Along the way we found ourselves off-track and driving through a very quaint little town known as Pilesgrove, NJ. When I think of small town America, this is what comes to mind. The restaurant we ate at had real home cooking. It was Halloween time and all the lamp posts along the main streets were decorated with scarecrows, witches, etc.

The site of the World Trade Center is really only a construction site at this point, but we visited St. Paul's Church across the street. There was a lot of memorabilia and pictures of many of the victims. It was at this little church with the cemetery all around it that many of the rescuers took refuge from the difficult task of trying to help in the aftermath of 911. It is also in this church that President George Washington worshipped immediately following his inauguration as our first president on April 30, 1789.

While in New York, we also checked out a vantage point where we could see directly into the open construction site. Great plans are in the works.

We went through the WTC Visitor Center which was a tremendous help in bringing the experience of 911 home to me. There was a wall of pictures of every one of the victims along with a few personal items. I think the thing that struck me the hardest was a piece of a plane where an entire window had been. I kept wondering who had been sitting in the seat next to that window and what they must have seen and felt. Very sobering.

That day was not an easy day for Jaime and me. Neither one of us felt very well and New York City with all it's smells and noise is not the place to be when you're nauseated and have a bad headache.

We all quite enjoyed the lunch we had. I think Duane will remember that more than anything.

The last few days were just quiet and relaxing. Lisa flew home on Saturday, the 11th. Duane and BJ spent that day out hiking and enjoying themselves. Tanya, Jaime and I spent our time trying to feel better. Angie was content to watch movies since she hadn't seen any all week.

The flight home was uneventful. Angie got on the plane without any problems. We arrived in Las Vegas early enough that we drove all the way home to St. George.

It was a wonderful vacation. Tanya and BJ are very easy to spend time with and they make you feel very welcome. And they don't fuss over their company. I'm sure they breathed a sigh of relief when all their visitors were finally gone.

Now all we have are memories . . . but they're happy ones. And lots of pictures.

(More pictures to be added when I get them from Jaime.)

Our Trip to Virginia, Part 1 - The Wedding

Duane, Jaime, Lisa, Angie and I flew to Dulles International Airport near Washington DC on Thursday, October 2, 2008. We were on time to the airport in Las Vegas. All was going well until I discovered Angie did not have her ID. (We still haven't found it.) Nevertheless, she got on the plane with only a little extra hassle. I'm sure they made an exception because of who she is and the fact that she was travelling with family.

Our flight was uneventful. We rented a car, stopped at Tanya's house to pick something up for her and headed toward Cape Charles, Virginia, about a 4 1/2 hour drive south. Lisa's Iphone was a great help with directions. No glitches until we learned our back lights were not working. Two young men at an auto parts store in Richmond, VA, were so very helpful. It turned out to be only a burned out fuse.

Tanya had rented a beautiful home across the Chesapeake Bay not too far from Cape Charles. All of BJ's family and our family including Mom and Pop were together. By the time everyone arrived, there were 18 of us, but it was still a very comfortable, pleasant experience.

When we finally arrived close to midnight, everyone was still up and waiting for us. What a welcome! Tanya had a nice meal prepared, we visited a short while and laid our exhausted bodies down to rest after a very long day of travel.

Brandon flew in on a redeye Friday morning. We drove back across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in the daylight. What an amazing feat of engineering! It spans 18 miles across the Chesapeake Bay, going across the surface for a while and then dipping down under the water so large ocean going vessels can cross without difficulty. The next day was fairly laid back. Some went running and for walks, some swam and did the hot tub thing, some of us just visited. We helped dip pretzels and bag them. (Dipping chocolate is not an easy task. There is definitely some skill and know-how involved.)

That afternoon we went over to Cape Charles for family pictures. The wedding rehearsal dinner was that evening, so those of us not involved did our own thing. We explored the tiny town of Cape Charles and went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I believe we were the lucky ones. Our evening was quite relaxing.On Saturday, the 4th of October in the middle of the afternoon we gathered at the end of the pier where the wedding was to take place. It was a beautiful, serene setting, one I think we all enjoyed. I'm not sure the bride and her mother were feeling what we were feeling, but that's to be expected. Marissa was an absolutely gorgeous bride. Brock is an incredible man. We were so happy to meet him and look forward to getting to know him.

After the ceremony there were cocktails, a photo op and we found ourselves at the reception.

Have you every experienced the sunset on the ocean? Try it sometime.

It was a fun evening with eating, toasting, laughing, crying, music, dancing. Some even enjoyed the drinking part - a little too much. The best part is that we were experiencing Marissa's wedding together. And it was a joyful event.