Tuesday, August 13, 2013

From Sister Gibby's letter after her first week in Tucson. " I'm covering the Corona and Cienega ward here in Tucson, AZ. It is not really hot here at all, which is a pleasant surprise. The people here are great an love having sister missionaries. This is their first time ever having them in this ward, so they are super excited. The Activity day girls put together massive bags of stuff for us which was sweet. There was lotion, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, food, etc. Basically it was like Christmas in August." I am excited to have a daughter serving a mission. When my youngest son, Jonathan, leaves for a mission in about a year I will have had all four of my children serve missions. With that and two children already married in the temple, I am truly blessed as a father.
It has been almost three years, but I am back. My children guilted me into resuming my blog. My daughter, Sarah, recently left to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and this is a way she can stay in touch with our family and I can share her experiences as a missionary to a wider audience. It doesn't seem like much has happened in the past three years, but in fact it has been full of life changing events and experiences. I now have two married children, a daughter serving a mission, a son in dental school and a daughter-in-law in medical school, two new dogs and new chandeliers in my dining room and entry. As I was looking back at some of the pictures I posted previously, my grass looks better but I have definitely not kept up with my flower gardens the way I should. For the 6th year in a row I am planning to hike Deseret Peak before the end of the summer. I just can't let this be the 6th summer that I fail to complete that goal. I just hope that I am fair enough shape to make the hike. I've spent more time in the car running around to functions with family and friends and far less time at the gym on the treadmill. To be honest, I didn't think I would still be living in Tooele at this point in my life. I bought a house here seven years ago to facilitate getting my family here and the kids in school. We thought that we would build a house closer to Salt Lake or move to the Salt Lake Valley. Now it is feeling more and more like we will be forever and forever in Tooele (the high school fight song). So, for better or for worse, I am back. I'm not sure anybody cares but me. It does feel good to have a presence on line. In its own way, it makes me feel like a bigger part of the world.