The Week's Events

 The Jackson's Camping Trip in Georgia

We miss Elise at most of our family activities, but we definitely know how it is to live all the way across the country from extended family.  When we lived in Georgia, it was expensive to call home, so we didn't do it very often.  We also didn't have the blessings of Facetime, Facebook, Instagram, etc.  I'm not sure if all of this technology makes living away easier--or harder.  We know that Georgia is beautiful and that nice weather is enjoyed for a longer period each year.  Elise shared these camping pictures with us.

Andy; Harvey "This is the Life"

The Jackson's: Max, Mav, Bevy, Harvey and Elise

This year Roy has a conference in Florida just before Thanksgiving and I'm going with him.  Following the conference, we decided to stay on the east coast and see the Jackson's while we're at it.  We will fly from Orlando to Augusta and stay through Thanksgiving.  It will be nice to spend some time with them.  The rest of our family gets us all the time, but Yuna said to me, "If you're going to Georgia for Thanksgiving, where will we go?"  Yuna, it's a dilemma.

As you all know, we have season tickets to both Centerpoint Legacy Theater and the Hale Center Theater.  This gives us the opportunity to take friends and family out once in a while.  We saw Jekyll and Hyde here in Centerville and we took Hyeji and Caitlyn with us.  The lead (on the wrong night) was Ben Lowell who grew up next door to us in Bountiful, and we really wanted to see him. So, on Saturday night after eating dinner with friends, we stopped by the theater on the off chance we could find tickets.  We lucked out and got two fairly good seats in the center section.  Both Ben and his wife, Holly, were in the production.  Ben has come a long way and is amazingly talented.  It was fun to see him.  Michael, his younger brother, was there the same night and we had a chance to talk to him, too.  He's Jennie's age and still unmarried, though he's dated the same girl for a while.  I asked him about it and he's obviously not sure she's "the one."  Although he didn't state it that clearly for me.

Holly and Ben Lowell, Catharine and Roy

Ring of Fire Eclipse

Roy and I checked the sky for the eclipse, but Centerville was completely cloud covered.  Luckily for the Vance's they had better luck.  They took pictures of everyone in their family with their eclipse glasses in place.

Italy

Dan and Jieun and Nick and Sara are traveling to Europe for a couple of weeks.  They shared some pictures on their first day there.

Dan also shared the following pictures that were sent to him by "Sister Yeo."  A wonderful Korean woman that we stayed with when we visited Korea.  Contrary to the title, Sister Yeo never joined the church but she always had a love for the missionaries.  She was one of the most giving people I've known.  This is her daughter Hae-in on her wedding day.  When we knew her she was probably 9 or 10 years old.  

Phil and Charlotte's farewell

Sunday morning Roy and I were able to go to Charlotte and Philip's missionary farewell. As I walked into the meeting, two of their sweet grandchildren were practicing a beautiful primary song called, "The Miracle." I felt the spirit so strongly that the tears started flowing, and as you all know, crying is unusual for me.

Here are the lyrics, 

For God so loved the world 

That He gave His only Begotten Son
That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish
But have everlasting life

Jesus walked upon the water
He stilled the storm and calmed the angry sea
With His hands He healed the leper
He made the lame to walk, the blind to see

He fed a thousand people with a loaf or two of bread
And when the ruler's daughter died
He raised her from the dead
Jesus is a God of miracles
Nothing is at all impossible to Him
But I know this
Of all His miracles, the most incredible must be
The miracle that rescues me

Jesus bled and died to save me
A price that I could never pay alone
When He rose again, He gave me
The greatest gift the world has ever known
Yes, I can be forgiven every time that I repent
And someday He will lift me up to live with Him again

Jesus is a God of miracles
Nothing is at all impossible to Him
But I know this:
Of all His miracles the most incredible must be
The miracle that rescues me

The miracle that rescues you and me 

Phil and Char both did a great job and the meeting was excellent and spiritual.  Charlotte shared a story of her friend Carol who spends many hours during the week preparing meals and helping to feed the homeless.  On one particular day, she went to help with serving lunch.  Most of the time, things would go smoothly, but on this day some of the men got into a fight and were punching, hitting and whipping each other.  Carol (who is 5 ' 2 ") walked out and told the men to "Stop hurting each other."  She honestly thought they would stop, but instead they then moved towards her with their whips.  Just as they began to swing, another homeless man stepped between her and the men and took the blows  himself.  She said of the man that he was her savior that day.  Many people in many settings just try to be the best people they can be.

We joined many of our family members and many of Char and Phil's friends for a delicious brunch at the Cook home following the meeting.  Tiffany took a lot of great pictures that she sent to me so I didn't have to worry about taking any.

Nan, Christine and Catharine (not age order, as Christine 

was quick to point out).

Roy, Jeff Matson, Rob Grey

Eliza, Steve, Nan, Christine, Catharine and Dave

Dave, Phil and Eliza;  Phil with several members of his family

Jeff, Bruce and Barbara

Spencer, Barbara, Christine, Steve, Nan and Bruce

A visit to Grandpa

After the farewell and brunch, we continued to Utah County to visit Roy's dad (after all, we were 1/4 of the way there).  I didn't take any pictures, but he looks the same.  I don't hear him complain often, but he did tell us that, "This is really hard."  His mind seems mostly there, though he's very forgetful.  He couldn't remember Adrienne's name and he couldn't remember that she has a new baby.  He is also convinced he'll have two wives waiting for him on the other side of the veil.  Fern 1 and Fern 2.  Roy said he's spent quite a bit of time trying to explain to him that Fern 1 and Fern 2 are the same person, but he doesn't think so.  Roy told him that he was married on one day, and then later sealed in the temple.  He thinks that might be the reason for Verl's confusion.  Roy's Uncle Tom married "Elaine 2" after "Elaine 1" passed away, so he may be confused because of that, also.  I'm not sure, but he's pretty adamant that he's been married twice.  He had a couple of books out that he was looking at, though I'm sure his eyes aren't good enough for him to really enjoy them.  One was a book that Becky Theobald Hawkes put together about the Verl and Fern Rasband family.  You've mostly likely seen all these pictures, but I immediately saw a bit of some of my grandchildren in these pictures of Roy:

Top left (Foster); top middle (Dojin); Next (Gunnar); bottom right, (Foster again).  Let me know if you see anyone else in these pictures.  

Since Jennie is tending the Dan Rasband children these next two weeks, we had them over for dinner on Sunday evening.