FAMILY AND FRIENDS

A bonus was a visit from Jon and Evan.

Four handsome generations.

     We have been set apart so I guess this is the official first week of our mission.  We are really just doing pre-mission visiting.

     My awesome brother, Robert and his wife Paula picked us and our HUGE amount of luggage up at the airport on April 1.  They brought us here to Provo where we enjoyed Jen’s amazingly beautiful BYU Singers concert that night.  We were suitably impressed. Jon and Evan joined us that night from LA so it was an extra bonus. Jon had come up for his missionary reunion.

     We were able to enjoy conference right here in Utah. Somehow it seemed more moving than ever.  I cried all through President Uchtdorf’s talk about Dresden.  Be sure and read it if you haven’t.

      We spent the first part of the week helping Dad around the house with organizing and finances, then went down to St. George to visit Jim’s dad.  That turned out to be a treasure trove of old friend visits. I was able to connect with my college roommate, Annette Everett, who has become quite a renowned artist (sculptor, primarily).  It turns out that they are good friends with old friends of ours from Salem, Ken and Jan Harris. Ken is also a successful artist and they show in the same galleries (which are managed by Jan).  We all had dinner together one night and then Annette and I got some old roomie time together.  It felt like we hadn’t been apart at all.  The next day we got to visit old friends from our years in Japan, the Riberas.  We had not seen them since 1977.  So fun to catch up and be with people we still care about even if we are not near.

The Everetts, Harris' and Heders at Cliffside Restaurant

in St. George.  Can you spot the Temple?

Our dear friends from our Army days in Japan, the Riberas,

eating at St. Helen's!

My dear friend and BYU roommate, Annette. Look for her
sculptures displayed in downtown St. George.

     Jim’s dad decided to make things exciting and he had to be taken to the hospital on Thursday night after getting short of breath, very weak and falling.  We had taken him for a two hour wheelchair excursion in downtown St. George and we worried that we had caused the problem, but it turned out that he had a urinary tract infection and had developed sepsis.  We all had a very scary night, but he was feeling much better after one night in the hospital. He didn't like the thought of a catheter, but he was a good patient and submitted without complaint. At this time he is still in the hospital waiting to get stronger and see if he can go home without a catheter or if he will need to go to a nursing home for 1-2 weeks first.  Renee Condie (Beverly's daughter) made a surprise visit Friday afternoon with her beautiful five children (4 hour drive from Lehi) and showered their Grandpa with cards, poems, hugs and kisses.  That evening Sydney (another of Beverly's daughters), Kevin and their two daughters (they live right in St. George) joined their cousins and entertained us royally. We had a wonderful time in St. George.

Jim's Aunt Nita (Guy's sister) lives in Toquerville (20 miles from St. George). She and her husband came right to the hospital as soon as they heard that Guy had been admitted.  What a blessing to have such supportive family and friends. We got a video of the Condies and Teas visiting and singing, but it was too big to post.

     We returned to Provo in a torrential downpour that would put anything in Oregon to shame.   We were just in time to visit Matt on the set of one of his current jobs.  All I can say about that is “weird,” but you who know my boys won’t be surprised by that.  Today we are fixing dinner for Joe and entering the MTC tomorrow.