Photos from the move

This first picture is loading the truck in Logan, Utah. The second is our "rig" as we stopped at a rest stop in Wyoming. The feel of the steering wheel, the length of the whole rig , and the sound of the diesel engine really makes me feel like a trucker. The slow speed going up hills adds to the whole perception, too.

On our way!

We moved into Utah in a 29-foot horse trailer pulled by a pickup truck. We have now moved out of Utah in a 26-foot rental truck pulling our car on a trailer. Our friend, Jim Christiansen and his daughter Sadie were generous and helpful enough, after having stored our food storage for a year, to load it into their pickup and bring it to us at the storage facility. The next day, we fully expected to do all of the loading of the rental truck by ourselves, just the two of us. We also were unsure that we would be able to fit everything in. As we started pulling stuff out of the storage space preparing to figure out what and how to load, we were pleasantly surprised to look up into the smiling faces of our sweet neighbors (actually, former neighbors now), Kim and Donnett Hawkes. They were a cheerful, hardworking blessing to our day! A little later, Wayne and Diane May along with Brian Chambers showed up to help, too. Although the weather leading up to this day had been quite springlike, mostly wet and cold, the day for loading was just what we had prayed for- sunny and lovely! The Lord does bless us in so many ways- sometimes through the efforts of others who are willing to listen to and follow Him. We have benefitted greatly from God's love. We acknowledge that and give thanks.

Getting anxious

We have just 3 more days to go through before picking up the largest rental truck available to us. Our friends who have been keeping our food storage will bring it from their home. Then we'll pick up our piano that has been safely residing in another home of friends. Then the next day we will spend at our storage unit pulling everything out (we're praying it's not a rainy day!) and loading it into the truck, hoping we can get it all to fit. Early the next morning we'll be on the road to Ohio. Again, we're praying it doesn't rain there on the day we unload. It would just make it so much easier and more pleasant! Then the real work will commence. We spend all night dreaming of the house and what we need to do. We spend all day talking and planning and trying to make arrangements. We got a shocking estimate to have the roof done. We were hoping that would be one burden off our full schedule. Now it's looking like we will have to manage it ourselves. Funny that I used the plural. It will have to be done mostly by Russ. I will go as high as the eaves to help with the gutters, soffitts, and fascia.... but the roof is way higher and steeper than I think I could handle and be any help at all. I will climb the scaffold and hand things up to Russ or pick up what's thrown on the ground. Anyway...........we're getting anxious to get started.

Photographs

I spent an hour or more showing my grandsons pictures. All of my grandchildren seem to love looking at photographs- of themselves, their cousins, places they have been, or even places they haven't been. What is it about photographs that is so fascinating? Is it the memories they evoke? Do we renew or even make new acquaintances with people and places through looking at pictures? Often people in photographs are smiling. In real life, the smiles don't last as long as the ones frozen in time by a camera. Places often look better somehow in a photo. When we were in Lithuania we tried to take a picture of the Soviet-era concrete apartment buildings to show how dismal they looked. It didn't work very well. The photograph looks cleaner and brighter than the real thing. There must be something about smells, sounds, and general feelings that we can create for ourselves when looking at a picture but in real life, we sense what is really there. Maybe we could try harder to make our real life like the life in pictures where faces are more relaxed and happy, surroundings are not so dismal.

Scott's Promotion

HI There,
Mary has already told you about Scott being promoted to Captain in the USAF. I thought I would describe the ceremony. First, I have to add my congratuations to Scott as well. He works. now, in some part of the Air Force that takes care of getting contractors to supply them with what they need. His work building is very secure. There was a small pinning on ceremony there. The room, as well as all the other rooms in the building are made of two feet of concrete and steel in the floors, walls, and cielings. The door we entered was of the bank vault type. (about 18 inches thick) It was set up as an audio visual conference room where what must be classified information is discussed. About forty people attended and captains were all over the place. He was promoted by his Lt. Col. who gave an impressive history of his Air Force record and the reasons he was being promoted. I sang the National Anthem at the opening of the ceremony. There was a cake and punch and what not and a lot of "atta boys" after the formal stuff. I am so appreciative of our military and the job they do and the way they do it. Pray for their safety always. They provide yours.

Honoring our son-in-law

We are now back in Utah at Ammon and Victoria's. We'll be here for a couple of weeks to say goodbye to dear friends and arrange for moving our belongings out of the storage space, into a big truck, and driving to Ohio. Before we left Ohio Russ and I had the opportunity to share in a touching ceremony to honor Angela's husband, Scott, as he was promoted to the rank of Captain in the US Air Force. We have known the "family" side of this quiet young man for many years. It was informative and thought-provoking to listen to the professional side of his accomplishments over the past nearly 10 years. He has worked hard, endured much stress, and accomplished much. So has Angela. She didn't get any award, gets no pins or badges, and no raise in pay. She deals with sickness of her husband and/or children sometimes even while sick herself. She deals with problems with their living quarters, clothing and disciplining and teaching her children, keeping her house as neat as possible with 3 lively young boys, keeping up with laundry, and manages to still do thoughtful things for many people. And all the while she looks beautiful and tries to learn how to do more things: stained glass projects, electrical repairs, computer art, studying scriptures, how to get help for their sweet autistic son, and more.... There won't be any impressive ceremony or uniform for Angela, but this blog, open for the world to see, is my offering to honor our daughter for her accomplishments. These pictures are of her with her husband and children, Russ and me with the kids, and Angela and Scott with Scott's parents. If you know either Scott or Angela, you might want to congratulate them for all they have accomplished so far.

Beginning our next adventure!

We made a purchase offer on an amazing brick house in Dayton, OH at 2045 Philadelphia Drive. It sits on nearly 1/2 acre of land, was built in 1920, has 2 1/2 stories and a full, although short ceilinged basement. It was bank-owned and need quite a bit of work but is very solid in all aspects. We got it for $47,500. Here in Dayton it's not an unusual house. They are "a dime a dozen" in the words of our realtor. We plan to return to Utah this week and after a couple of weeks there will pack up the stuff in our storage unit and move to Ohio. The house doesn't have a kitchen in it right now so we will be staying with our daughter, Angela, while we do some preliminary work before we actually can live in the house. There is lots to be done so if anyone wants to visit us we could put you to work! We will try to keep some updates on the work but here are a couple of "before" pictures of the house, an outside front view and a picture of the entry foyer. When it is done, we will have a living room, kitchen, formal dining room, breakfast room, 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths along with the 3-car garage, vegetable garden, and herb garden. We expect to put about $30,000 into it. In the neighborhood it's in, we should be able to get at least $150,000 for it in a couple of years. We may even try for one of the city's development grants or no or low interest loans and do another house here in the future. We'll keep you posted!

General Conference!

This weekend has been the 177th annual general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In this wonderful age of communication technology, Russ and I have not had to miss any of the 5 sessions. On Saturday morning, we watched the first session over the internet on our daughter's computer in the Dayton, OH (Huber Heights). Then we drove to Cincinnati to watch the afternoon session at the home of our "adopted" son's in-law's whose television has access to BYU television. Russ went with our son and son-in-law to the priesthood session at the ward meetinghouse of our son's ward. Sunday we spent the day watching "Music and the Spoken Word" and both sessions in the Huber Heights ward chapel. The familiarity of all of it brought us a warm, comforting feeling. Russ remembers his tenor part in many of the songs the choir sang. It was fun to name people as their faces showed on the screen and we felt a loving surge in our hearts remembering wonderful people: choir members, organists, choir directors, church leaders. The conference center was familiar to us, evoking memories of having been there so many times. It was especially heart-warming to see the inside of the old tabernacle again after all of the renovations have been completed. It looked like a bit of "home" to us. As the old saying goes, "Home is where the heart is". Over the past 32 years since deciding to join the huge, ever-growing family of Latter Day Saints, we have felt a warm, comforting feeling of "home" all over the world in temples, chapels, and the homes of Latter Day Saints. Zion, a synonym for unity, peace, and love, is "the pure in heart". It is a very desirable place to be.