Happy New Year: 2014!

January 1-4:  What a way to start the New Year!!!

Ty ready to go on snowmobile with Grandpa!

January 1, 2014      WEDNESDAY    Up early, especially after a late night, and pack for a trip to Utah, hoping to find a flight.  We opened up the Memorial and I spent most of the first couple hours hustling and trying to make a big dent taking down the Christmas decorations we had previously put up.  They were now making Johnson’s nervous.  Rhonda helped with decorations but finally went to the computer and started to look for a flight home.  Seats on the flights we had scheduled have seemed to evaporate.  She finally found a possibility:  Burlington to LaGuardia, to Denver, and Salt Lake.  We knew we might have to spend the night in Denver but it looked like the only way out.  Osborne’s came and worked the last 1 ½ hours of our shift so we could go.  In New York we called Rhett to see if he had any of the Expedia hotel accommodations we had used on the way out.  He looked and then we thought we found a flight late to Salt Lake on United so we had Randy searching as well.  The United flight was full so we called Rhett back and had him book the hotel in Denver.  Caught the shuttle and booked an early wake-up call and shuttle back to the airport in the morning.  Once in the hotel room we checked on the flight to Salt Lake and found it was overbooked so we re-scheduled to a later flight possibility, changed our wake-up with the front desk and then tried to get a couple of hours sleep before the morning.  (We did luck out and fly 1^st class both to New York and to Denver). 


THURSDAY    What seemed like the middle of the night (4:20am) the desk clerk called and said we were supposed to be on the shuttle to airport.  I told her we had changed flights and she then remembered and said “sorry”.  Tried to get a little more sleep but it was useless.  The hotel wasn’t ready for breakfast so we had to take the 6:00am shuttle anyway.  Checked in at the desk to make sure we were registered as Sky West which gives us better flight privileges on Sky West flights.  We were soon called up and given 1^st Class seats on the short trip to Salt Lake!   Got our Trax tickets and were soon to the car in Nyra’s garage.  I had worried that it wouldn’t start since it hadn’t started for a couple of months but no problem.  We were soon at Wendy’s for our traditional lunch even if it was only 10:30 in the morning.  While driving, Misty called so we took a side trip thru Peoa.  Rhonda wanted to take Paisley to stay at the cabin so she came with us.  We sopped at the sawmill to talk to David and then we all went to Subway to have lunch.  Stopped in  Heber to get some things to eat and then off to the cabin to inspect the plumbing problems, etc.— 
A couple hours later, Ryan and family  arrived so I met them at the pond and ran a shuttle to the cabin.  (our Honda made it up just fine without our chains)  It was good to see their family again.  We spent most of the night visiting and doing things with them.  

FRIDAY  I cooked the usual pancake breakfast along with a pound of bacon.   The kids wanted to play outside so I got out the snowmobile and took them for a ride.  That didn’t seem to satisfy Ryan.  He wanted to dig the 4-wheelers out of the bottom garage.  He tried to start LeIla’s but the battery was dead.  I started the green one but it was behind the razor and tucked away pretty good.  We finally did some grunt switching and shoveled most of the pile of snow that had come off the roof so we were finally able to get it out and going.  We all went to lunch at the Subway in Midway.  Misty and the rest of kids joined us there.  Then it was back to the cabin where Rhett’s family soon came.
Rhonda when through our winter clothes and finally found some things for Rhett’s kids and they all went sledding down the steep road.  They would sled down and then Ryan/Rhett would pick them up on the 4-wheeler and drive them back to the turn in the road where they would load up and go again.  This went on until nearly dark.  David arrived and we all sat down to a nice roast beef dinner that Rhonda had prepared.  The kids played while the adults talked.  Finally the small kids were laid down while the other ones watched a movie while the adults played a couple of hands of Crazy Rook.  Just before midnight Rhett’s and Misty and David left for the night.
 


SATURDAY  Breakfast again and then what kids were left were soon back outside.  More snowmobile rides, etc.  Ryan’s family left for Logan about 1:30.  By then, Misty had returned so we took her and her kids and headed to Mona to see Kevin and his burns and the burned down house.  When we got back to Orem, I stopped to see LeIla while the others did some shopping then they picked me up and I took Aspen and Braxten to the BYU game.  I think they did a lot of running around while I was doing stats.  After the game, Misty took her kids home for the night
 
 
 

Another Year Gone

December 29 - 31

The "Lights of Christmas" will be over New Years Day

SUNDAY arrived whether we were ready or not.  It was now time for us to give our first talk in Sacrament meeting since coming on our mission.  Rhonda’s talk centered on LOVE.  She did a great job and even took up her allotted time slot but left plenty of time for me.  I decided to talk about New Year’s Resolutions and tried to tie it in with our resolve to Keep the Commandments of Our Father in Heaven.  I heard several positive comments about our talks but the best thing about them is they are over!  From Church it was our turn to go straight to the Memorial.  Things were kinda slow but Sister Johnson filled in the spare time telling us some of the trials they had had with their children.  As we were finishing up at the Memorial, a snow storm was moving in.  I don’t know if I have ever seen bigger snowflakes in my life.  It only lasted 2-3 hours but still put down about 7” of new snow.  It was pretty to see but not so much fun to drive in down the steep hilly roads on the way to the apartment. 

 MONDAY we thought we would get a little rest but Elder Osborne called and wanted us to come early and fill in for him as he had lost a took cap and needed to see the dentist in Lebanon to get it fixed.  Elder Johnson is not doing too well and was to the doctor himself so that left me in charge.  Sister Josie Best, the animals owner, called about moving the animals.  Since I was the only one here, I made the decision and told her to come take them away ASAP as it seemed to be causing Elder Johnson stress worrying about them.   By this time, guests were arriving for FHE.  Elder Osborne was ill, and Sister Scott was ill so I ended up giving my yesterday’s church talk for the FHE lesson.  I hardly got a break as people just kept coming and coming all night long.  I made a count and counted 168 people who stopped and got out of their cars and came to see the animals and/or in the house for warm cider and cookies.  

TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2013.  We were scheduled to have the late shift and were also trying to coordinate a new year’s eve party with all the missionaries.  We finally decided to move things to the Center so the Johnson’s  could attend as they wouldn’t leave the animals  (Sister Best said it was too cold to come get them).  We tried to start our “party” at 9:00pm but people just kept coming and driving through.  Even though the lights were out, they were still coming until 11:45p.  The party was kinda fun, I tried to teach them how to play “crazy rook”.  It was pretty crazy as I don’t think some of them even know what was going on after we had played all 10 rounds.  We also played a couple other games, had lots of nice eats and treats.  HAPPY NEW YEAR  We were soon gone after the stroke of midnight.  We were still having flight problems for our proposed trip to Utah in the morning so after we got home Rhonda stayed up and was working on that for a while but I was tired and it was too late so I went to bed.