A long "day of rest"

Dear family,

Jessie made it home safely from her trip to Idaho.  Welcome home Jessie!  I'm glad you had a fun time, were safe traveling, and are home again!

Mark, I am looking forward to talking to you tomorrow.  We have an ultrasound at 11:30 that will probably go about an hour.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Dad

Sunday, February 28, 2021
9:29 pm

A day of rest: 6:00 am to 5:00 pm.  And the last meeting ran 45 minutes longer than expected and wasn't spiritually uplifting.  Nothing bad, but we met as Stake leaders to discuss some upcoming youth activities.  We ended up wrestling with what is the appropriate way to deal with youth leaders who refuse to wear masks, especially when there are youth in their ward who have high-risk individuals in their households.  Blah.

Dinner tonight was amazing.  I browned some garlic in a little olive oil before adding potatoes and water to make mashed potatoes.  Browning the garlic sweetens them and infuses the oil with the flavor, which then makes the potatoes divine.  The only problem was getting full before I was tired of eating.

Thankful: I'm thankful that the young men who serve as my Assistants and Secretary are good young men.  Ian and Berkley can't attend mutual events on Wednesdays because they have schedule conflicts with work.  That is such a bummer.  I would love to have them be there to interact with the younger Priests.  They would benefit from the maturity of the older Priests.

Ministering: I had a good visit with a ward member this afternoon.  We talked about his family and I recommended a Conference talk for him to study.

More later…

This photo came from last Sunday, but I don't think it's past its expiration date yet! :) 

Happy Birthday Dennis Miller

Dear family,

Life isn't perfect, but it sure is good.  Jessie, I'm glad you made it safely to the Jolley's house in Idaho and hope you're having a great time there.  We look forward to hearing all about your trip tomorrow or Monday.

I hope we all have a wonderful Sabbath day tomorrow!

Love,

Dad

Saturday, February 27, 2021
9:21 pm

Dennis Miller responded to my text on Friday, thanking me for thinking of him and mentioning how much he misses Diane.  I invited him to join us for dinner and we had a very enjoyable time with him last night.  He is someone who always likes to be busy and engaged, so being a retired widower at 74 is tough for him.  He talked about serving a service mission somewhere where he can use his maintenance and general handyman skills to make a difference.  I hope he can find something meaningful to do.  He is such a wonderful man.

Work yesterday was great.  I finished meeting with most of the rest of my employees about staffing changes that we will do in preparation for the Springville branch.  The meetings all went well; everyone is on board with the changes, and two of our graduating tellers have tentatively accepted an offer to stay at the credit union in a full-time position.  I am really happy about that; I think both David and Eliza will do a great job.

Today Jessie drove to Idaho to visit her mission companion Sis. Jolley who returned from Canada and is giving her homecoming talk tomorrow.  I love the fact that she has a reliable car to make the drive, and I know she made it safely because she shared her location with me on Google Maps.  I'm so glad she can have this experience.

Today we got our chores done in the morning.  Spencer and I went for a drive in the afternoon, then David and Lisa and their family came to join us for dinner.  If I hurry, I can get seven hours of sleep before meetings start tomorrow morning.

Birthday celebration for Dennis Miller last night.

Good jobs are good things

Dear family,

It was a good day today.  Mark, I think of you every time I hear about Texas on the news.  Lately that has been a lot.  I'm glad you're staying healthy and well and pray for your continued success.

Much love to all!

Dad

Thursday, February 25, 2021
8:58 pm

Another good day today.  I spent most of the day working on HR/staffing issues.  I visited with Suzanne, Sue and Dalley.  Suzanne and Sue each received promotions as I am working to get things ready for our new branch in Springville.  I let Dalley know that we want to keep her in a full-time position when she finishes school next January.  I think the salary we can offer is competitive with what is available in the marketplace.

Thankful: I'm grateful that I have a good job that doesn't just allow me to provide for myself and my family, but that also provides good jobs for good people.  It's a blessing to be involved in this.

Ministering: Tonight our digital photo album had a photo of Dennis and Diane Miller.  I snapped a photo of it with my phone and sent it to Dennis with a note that I was thinking of him.

More later…

The photo of a photo that I sent to Dennis Miller.

It works!

Dear family,

Don't you love the feeling of working on a problem, and then it finally is resolved?  That was the experience this afternoon with the debit card processing conversion I've been writing about.  But even better than that is knowing that I have a wonderful family to come home to every day.  I love you all!

Dad

Wednesday, February 24, 2021
8:57 pm

Good day!  Everything that needed to happen today at work happened, and things went well.  I was ready for marketing meeting and we prepared for the transition from our current marketing program to the next one to start March 1.  The debit card balancing fiasco got resolved today.  It took about an hour to review and understand how the accounting flows are happening.  I got it to the point where it should balance and was nearly shocked when it worked.  The reconciliation file went from containing nearly 150 entries over the past two weeks to only six items that are timing issues and will clear off tomorrow.  I was so grateful that this is working.  I sent info to a couple colleagues at other CU's that are in a similar boat letting them know that I got things to balance and offering to help them if they need it.

Board meeting this afternoon went really well.  We are still meeting on Zoom, which keeps things focused.  The entire meeting took just under an hour, and everything I wanted to have approved was.  Nice!

Tonight we held YM for the Priests.  Only Spencer and Caleb joined but it was very last-minute.  I'm still trying to get my arms around this. We are planning a menu to feed the Sister Missionaries for a week next month.  Due to COVID they can't eat with us or accept homemade food. So we are going to plan a menu, go shopping, and do the meal prep so they can cook good, homemade food themselves.

Served the family tonight by making a bed, cycling laundry, and reading to the young ones.

More later…

Awesome rolls (and awesome mommy) on Sunday.  As part of our celebration of Lent we do something celebratory on Sunday.  Last week Julie and Abbie made rolls, hiding brightly colored centers in a normal outer.  They were delicious and beautiful!

Birthdays

Dear family,

Today was productive and good.  Celebrated Mike Christensen's birthday and Quinn's too.  If I hurry, I can get a good night's sleep.  Love to all of you!

Dad

Tuesday, February 23, 2021
10:22 pm

Happy birthday Mike.  I finished getting ready for tomorrow's Board meeting, including putting together a proposal for our staffing with the new Springville branch.  It's been through several iterations, and I think I like where things are headed.  That was my big project today.

Tonight we went to the Albertsons' house for dessert to celebrate Quinn's birthday.  I left early to make a couple visits.  Jeff Larson and I saw Casey Molder.  He and Jeff talked about mechanic stuff that made no sense to me.  Jeff is a recovered drug user who speaks very tenderly about the Savior, His Atonement, and the second chance he has been given.  It's really touching, and makes him a wonderful companion to visit those who come from similar backgrounds.  That was the case with tonight's visit.  Then I had a stewardship interview with our YW President, Sis. Lish.

Thankful: I'm thankful for personal revelation, and for revelation to administer my calling.  I recognize having received both blessings recently, and need that again.

Ministering: My visit tonight with Jeff was a good start to minister to Casey.

More later…

Firework candles are so fun!  And Quinn got to blow them out all by himself.

Will Nathaniel sleep?

Dear family,

It was super nice talking to you today Mark.  Thanks for being diligent, even when things are hard.  

Jessie, the dinner you made tonight was delicious.  Thanks for serving our family so kindly!  THE with you tonight was fun too.

Much love to all!

Dad

Sunday, February 21, 2021
10:14 pm

How can Nathaniel still be awake??? 

Today was really good.  Had Bishopric meeting and ward council

 

Monday, February 22, 2021
10:23 pm

Well last night's entry didn't get far.  I helped with Nathaniel until he and I finally fell asleep about the same time.  One of us cried ourselves to sleep.  I'm not telling which.

More notes on yesterday: Isaac gave a talk in sacrament meeting.  Last week he wrote a talk as part of his Sunday activities and asked me if he could give it this week.  He wrote it himself and did a wonderful job.  Several people texted us later in the day complimenting him.  Proud dad.  The other speakers were the Cluff's.  They did a great job testifying of Jesus Christ and talking about ways we can draw closer to Him and invite others to do the same.  It was a great meeting.

Had my monthly interview with Pres. Brinkerhoff.  He's a wonderful man and I always feel uplifted when I visit with him.  Then met in interviews to help some people become better.  I love working with good people.  In the evening we went to Dad and Mom's house for dinner and dessert.  It was really nice to be there.  The little girls had me reading stories to them, and that was fun.  We also sang a couple hymns before coming home.  Finished the day by taking Nathaniel on a drive.  It didn't help him fall asleep, but Spencer enjoyed driving, and it was funny to see Nathaniel sitting in his seat in the back "reading" a board book.

Today was a good.  The highlight was Julie's doctor visit.  Everything looks perfect.  We decided that based on how good everything looks, there is no need to induce at 37 weeks.  Julie will have another NST on Friday and a final ultrasound next Monday.  Unless either of those things shows problems, we will induce on March 4 at 38 weeks.  We feel good about that.  An extra week for lung development sounds wonderful.

Thankful: I'm so grateful that Julie's pregnancy is going well, and that we have medical care to reassure us that everything looks good.  I'm also grateful that we have tools to identify potential problems.  God is so good.

Ministering: I reached out to Andy Swenson (might have been yesterday) to see how he and his family are doing.  They are still struggling.  My heart aches for them.  I wonder what more we can do to serve them.

More later…

Nathaniel enjoyed "reading" a board book while Spencer and I took a drive last night.

good days

Saturday, February 20, 2021
10:48 pm

Need to go to sleep.  Bishopric tomorrow at 6:00 am.  Quick note first.

Mike Christensen's dad's funeral was yesterday.  It was really nice.  He was a stalwart, honest, genuine man of God.  He was a great example.  I hope to follow the example of true men like him.

A couple from Texas that Mark is working with were traveling through Utah today and stopped by for a brief visit. Preston, the husband, is returning to activity.  Feliz, the wife, is preparing to be baptized.  They spoke very highly of Mark.  They were really delightful to visit with. 

Julie and I went out for dinner, just the two of us.  It was pleasant to be together.  

When we got home from our date Nathaniel was happy to see us and his normal self.  About 20 minutes later he started crying and seemed to be holding his arm, indicating it was hurt.  We had no idea what had happened but were getting ready to take him to the instacare in Provo when he stopped crying and seemed to be fine.  I gave him a bath, thinking I could see if anything was wrong.  About halfway through his bath he started using his "hurt" arm to splash and play like nothing had ever been wrong.  Very happy to not have a problem, but it was weird.

More later…

Blessings of the gospel

Dear family,

So Mark, do you know an Elder Rosenbaum who was serving in Killeen until recently?  His mom Liz is the younger sister of Mike Christensen.  We grew up in the same ward and did things quite a bit together.  Small world.

I enjoyed reading the email from your mission president with an update on what is happening in Austin.  It sounds like it should warm up soon and let things start getting back to normal.  What a strange year.

I have been listening to General Conference on my drive home and am nearly finished with the October conference.  It was so good.  I had forgotten some of the talks and am so grateful we can review them.

I need to go put clean sheets on our bed - Nathaniel had a bloody nose on my pillow, so I threw everything in the wash.  Climbing into a bed with clean sheets is one of the nicest feelings!

Love to all,

Dad

Thursday, February 18, 2021
9:19 pm

Today was a much better day.  We don't have the debit card balancing figured out just yet, but FIS thinks they found a problem on their end that they can fix over the weekend.  Hopefully next week this will be fixed.  In the meantime I focused on other priorities today.

Nathaniel has a bit of a cold so he didn't sleep well last night.  I was up with him a couple times, including "sleeping" on the couch for part of the night.  He's still got a runny nose, and Isaac isn't feeling well tonight.

This evening Sis. Winfree came over to do a assess Neil's speech.  He has been doing speech at school for most of this year and they feel like he's progressed enough to be "done" with speech. Before agreeing, Julie wanted a second opinion.  Since Sis. Winfree is a speech pathologist in the school district, she was a natural choice.  Dinner was a little late tonight, so she came over while we were eating.  We invited her to join us in our meal while she listened to Neil.  She agreed that he has progressed enough to graduate from speech.  Hooray!

This evening I went to the viewing for Mike's dad.  As I entered the mortuary, there were the sounds of laughter and visiting coming from the room.  It felt so good to visit with his family as they celebrate his wonderful life with faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement and resurrection.

One thing I learned at the viewing is that the oldest son of Mike's younger sister Liz is serving in the Texas Austin mission, and was recently transferred out of Killeen.  I would be surprised if he and Mark didn't overlap.  Small world.

Thankful: I am really grateful that today was a better day at work.

Ministering: Visiting with Mike at his dad's viewing was partly a ministering activity.  I also indexed a batch of names during lunch for the first time in far too long.

More later…

A little family Sunday worship from the archives.

Feeling foodie

Dear family,

Time for Dad to go take care of Nathaniel.  Love you all!

Dad

Wednesday, February 17, 2021
8:57 pm

Frustrating day.  I spent nearly all of it trying to reconcile the debit card settlement account.  It worked perfectly before the migration, and we were assured that the settlement would be the same after.  I know what should work, but it doesn't.  I talked with a colleague at another CU that made the same move a month ago and was discouraged to learn that they still can't get these accounts to balance.  I'm really not happy about this.

When I was called as EQP (can't remember which time), I remember thinking something like this: "I am good at administering.  Organizing things and keeping track of details is something I'm good at and comfortable doing.  But ministering is not one of my strengths.  I'm really going to need the Lord's help in this area."  Several years later when I was about to be released from that calling, I realized that one of the things I was going to miss most about my calling was the opportunity to minister to the elders and families in my ward.

Thankful: I am so grateful we have good food.  Every meal today was delicious.  What a blessing.

Ministering: Reyna has been out for the last two days because her son is sick.  Stacy was feeling a bit overwhelmed today, so I told her to buy lunch on her corporate card.  It's not a huge thing, but she appreciated it.

More later…

Didn't take any photos today, so here's a "good food" photo from this summer.  Peach cobbler, golden brown.

Snow day

Dear family,

Time to go help Nathaniel get ready for sleep.  I love you all!

Dad

Tuesday, February 16, 2021
8:55 pm

Snowy day today. I'm glad that everyone (so far) travelled safely.  Worked more on our debit card migration project at work.  Over the weekend we discovered some aspects that didn't go as smoothly as hoped.  And tomorrow I need to work on balancing.  When we were told that everything was supposed to be the same, we were skeptical.  That doubt was well placed.

Tonight we had FHE.  Julie gave a great lesson on Ash Wednesday and Lent, and we made a paper chain to commemorate the 40 days of Lent with a different attribute we want to focus on for each day.  I loved the idea and look forward to a new way to worship Jesus this Easter season.

Andy Hjorth and I made some visits in the ward tonight.  It was good to get out and visit people in their homes.  I am pretty sure that the most important work we will do as a Bishopric won't be accomplished in the Bishop's office.  We met briefly with Casey Molder, met Teighlor Hochstrasser and her two kids (husband was at work), shoveled the driveway for Megan Strassburg and talked with her about her kids, then visited Daniel and Breanna Anderson.  She had a stroke just before Christmas but is making a very good recovery.  We talked with them about blessing their daughter.  They are a good young family, but they haven't been active in Church for many years.  It was interesting to me that in previous callings I have felt timid about inviting people to make changes and return to activity.  As Bishop, I feel much more confident simply inviting people to make changes and follow Jesus.  It is a liberating feeling, and I've enjoyed it.

Thankful: I'm grateful for my good counselors, for good people to visit, and that the Holy Ghost does all the hard work as we seek to minister to others.

Ministering: Tonight was a good ministering night.

More later…

Nathaniel wanted to wear my mask when I got home from visits tonight.

Happy Presidents' Day!

Dear family,

Mark, it was great to visit with you today.  Hopefully your power and heat come back soon.  I appreciated the perspectives you shared in your "Long Winter" email.  Isn't it funny that 16 hours without power and 54 degree indoor temps feel like we're really "roughing it.  I hope you don't mind, I shared a couple paragraphs of your insights with Pres. Kent.  He and I were visiting recently about a ward member who is struggling with the death of a loved one.  Even when we "know" the ultimate answers, the present can still feel like a "long winter."

Much love to all!

Dad

Monday, February 15, 2021
9:16 pm

Sunday was a full day, as they usually are.  We have begun making plans to resume in-person weeknight youth activities and will start holding Bishopric and Ward Council in person.  I had a scheduled stewardship interview with Sis. Hansen, our RS president, and an impromptu one with Bro. Kent, our EQ president.  They were good.  I'm grateful to be able to work with such good people.  None of us is perfect, but we are trying and working to support each other.  And I just remembered a Patriarchal Blessing recommend I need to submit.  Be right back…  Done.

Last night after dinner and hymns we got everyone in bed.  Then Julie and I stayed up until midnight talking.  Some was more serious, some was just silly, and all of it was nice.  I tried to stop talking several times and get to bed earlier, but kept thinking of "one more thing…" 

Today was Presidents' Day, so the kids and I had the day off.  We slept in a bit – 8:00 am is now sleeping in for me.  I made a different ableskiever recipe for breakfast today.  They weren't bad, but I still think they're too much work.  We might try the recipe again in a waffle maker or Abbie's baked donut maker.  We folded some laundry, played Settlers, and the kids watched a movie.  Julie had a non-stress test and doctor visit today and everything looks good.  We are working on scheduling the induction in the next couple weeks.  Wow.

We went to Dad and Mom's for burgers and visiting tonight.  We got there a little late following Nathaniel's nap.  Got home too late for FHE tonight, so we'll do that tomorrow.

More later…

Camilla beat Emma and me at Rat-a-tat-cat on Sunday with TWO points.  Nice job!

Brunch this morning.

Nathaniel has figured out how to use a straw.

Earnestly yours...

Dear family,

It's interesting that a day spent in "mundane" tasks - chores, errands, preparing for Sunday - can be uplifting.  Throw in a few hours with favorite people watching a light-hearted farce, and it's a good day.  Hope yours was too!

Love,

Dad

Saturday, February 13, 2021
9:13 pm

Families are silly.  Tonight we had some struggles with the typical bedtime complaints – it's lots of fun to play and do what we want until we have to actually get ready for bed, then "no one is being nice to me," with "me" being whoever is complaining.  While one of his sisters was busy complaining about how unfair life is, Isaac snuck out and sat on my chair with an impish grin on his face.  It was perfect and broke the "woe is me" cycle.  He came out three or four times giggling madly each time; Neil joined him once and sat on his lap.  I couldn't resist joining the silliness.  After getting everyone a final drink, there were a couple tablespoons of water left in the glass.  When Isaac crept towards my chair one last time, I threw the water on him.  Everyone laughed, Isaac changed his PJ's, and now everyone is mostly cheerful in bed.  Hopefully they'll be asleep soon.

This afternoon Julie and I went to the play The Importance of being Earnest at the Hale Center Theater in Orem with Dad and Mom.  It was Dad's birthday present from us.  The play was very silly, and some of the characterizations were magnificently done.  I really enjoyed it.

Thankful: I am thankful for our ministering brother, Don Vinson.  He brought us two packages of cookies for Valentine's Day.  While the cookies weren't particularly tasty, the act was thoughtful and generous.  That is much more important.

Ministering: Yesterday I had the thought I ought to call Mike Christensen.  Instead I took a call from Bro. Kent and we discussed some ward/EQ items.  Today I learned that Mike's dad passed away yesterday.  That's the second time this week I've noticed a prompting after the fact and missed the opportunity to act on it as promptly as would have been a blessing.  So when we got home after the play and Jessie asked me to take a plate of cookies to the Bates next door, I immediately put my coat on, picked up Camilla and Nathaniel (who insisted on coming too) and took the cookies to our neighbors.

More later…

Intermission selfie.  Mom said she was sticking her tongue out when I took the photo... 😛

Do you want to buy a tent?

Dear family,

Here's to a relaxing (?) three-day weekend.  Mark, I hope the missionary work goes really well this weekend.  Family here at home, I look forward to doing some fun things together.  After the chores are done, of course! :)

Love to all,

Dad

Friday, February 12, 2021
9:21 pm

I woke today up with this song running through my head:

He said that he loved her
and took all his money
and told her he'd buy her a tent.

She added her money
together they bought it
and decided it was money well spent.

I have no idea where that came from or what it means.  Jessie suggested it might mean we're supposed to follow Lehi's example and depart for the wilderness.  Julie disagreed.  Regardless, it was a very strange dream.

Today was mostly good.  I made significant progress documenting and developing some improved security practices for our computer network.  This has been a long process, and today I succeeded in reaching the "baseline" level.  I feel good about what I accomplished.

Last night while I was reading scriptures to the kids we heard sirens in the neighborhood.  Because my office is right next to the hospital, I have become accustomed to sirens.  I didn't think much of it until Isaac announced that he could see lights flashing from his bedroom window.  I looked and realized that the emergency vehicles were two streets away in our ward.  I walked down to see if I could help.  The police couldn't give me much information other than to confirm that "everyone is okay."  After the death in the ward on Wednesday, I was grateful for that.  After talking to some family members we determined that there was a domestic violence situation fueled by alcoholism.  Bro. Kidd made an insightful observation: When you are studying your scriptures regularly, it is easy to see the difference they make in your life.  When you refuse to study them, you have no idea what you're missing.  Some suffering is avoidable only to the extent we are willing to make choices to follow Jesus Christ and invite the Holy Ghost into our lives.

Thankful: I'm thankful for the rain we received this morning, and hope it brought a lot of snow to the mountains.

Ministering: I had a really great experience yesterday.  I reached out to one of the families in the ward that I have felt a prompting to contact.  I sent a text to both the husband and wife, letting them know they had been on my mind and that I would like to meet with them.  Turns out I had the husband's number wrong, but the wife replied that she would like to meet, and asked me to resend the text to both her and her husband's correct phone number.  To me that sounds like she is ready to reengage in the Church and wants to find a good way to bring him along.  I don't know yet where this will lead, but I want to do my part to help.  To borrow a gardening analogy, they may be very close to bearing spiritual fruit, or this may simply be a time to add a little fertilizer and turn over the soil, waiting and preparing for a future harvest.

More later…

Photo credit: mom

More sirens

Dear family,

I love you all!

Love,

Dad

Wednesday, February 10, 2021
9:46 pm

Tonight while reading scriptures we heard sirens, then the kids announced that they could see the blinky lights from their bedroom window.  Police and an ambulance were back in our ward for the second time in two days.  I walked down, fearing the worst.  I didn't learn much and the police couldn't tell me much more than that "everyone is okay."  But that's great news that I was happy to hear.

The debit card conversion today went very smoothly, much to our relief.

Thankful: Jessie is really enjoying the graphic work she is doing with Church magazines, and has been offered a job there when her mission ends in April.  She is really happy about that, and I am so excited for her.  It's a wonderful feeling to get paid for something you enjoy doing.

Ministering: I texted Leandra's parents today to make sure they have my contact info and to offer my support.  I failed to contact the Petersen's today, a family that is on my mind.  I will do that tomorrow, and am now accountable to my future self.

More later…

Evidence that Nathaniel has been here.  (Photo from January, but I don't think I've shared it before!)

Good news and struggles

Dear family,

I love you all.  Today I have been dealing with two different people who have experienced the death of a family member.  One at work, and another in the ward.  It is hard, and makes me so grateful for each of you.  I am thankful for the plan of salvation that gives us ultimate hope.  I believe that we do not have to wait until the next life to realize this hope; we can have confidence in Jesus today, even when we struggle.

Much love,

Dad

Tuesday, February 9, 2021
9:40 pm

Julie had a doctor visit yesterday; everything is great.  Baby was moving around so much during the NST that it took a while to establish a baseline.  Love that.  Blood pressure and blood sugar are both doing okay.  Heartbeat was 143, perfect.  Very nice.  Looking at (tentatively) February 28 for an arrival date.

Sad news: yesterday we found out that my employee Sue Hunt's ex-husband had fallen and suffered a serious head injury. He passed away this morning.  The fall was a result of severe alcoholism.  What a terrible disease. 

On a similar vein, a member of my ward passed away today.  As EQP I had worked with him and his wife for a while to try to help them prepare to attend the temple.  Unfortunately, they weren't ready for the commitment yet, and they never made it to the temple.  I thought of them just the other day and felt like I should get in touch with them.  I regret not immediately reaching out.  How do I recognize when a thought is just a passing thought, when it is a gentle prompting, and when it is an urgent need?  I'm just not good at that yet.  

I need to go to sleep soon.  Tomorrow our debit card processor is migrating us to a different platform.  It is supposed to go smoothly, but we are nervous.

Thankful: I'm thankful that we had a good FHE tonight.  I taught a lesson on priesthood authority and used a variety of "licenses" that I printed and gave the kids.  We talked about the need for authority to permit certain actions to take place.  We also talked about Joseph and Oliver's revelatory experiences after they were baptized and received the priesthood.

Ministering: Grieving families.

More later…

Playing Mancala with Emma the other day.

Friday!

Dear family,

Not a whole lot to say about today, so please remember how much I love you!

Love,

Dad

Friday, February 5, 2021
9:31 pm

Last night was unreal.  Kids were awake until after 11:00 pm.  Not cool, and I think they're trying to do it again.

Work today was fine.  A bit of frustration working with business partners who seem to feel like "good enough" is good enough.  It isn't; at least not in my book.

Thankful: Oranges.  We've been through three boxes so far this winter.  I ate the last one today, or I'd go get another one right now.  They are so good.

Ministering: I made dinner tonight after work.  I love serving my family.  I also did some work to help arrange a small service project to help a family that has moved into our ward.  They have a swing set at their old home that needs to come here.

More later…

Nathaniel and I cleaned the living room yesterday.  We put all the pieces of the Potato Head back where they belong.

Short

Thursday, February 4, 2021
9:46 pm

Tired.  Closed the general ledger today at work, need to get the month-end reports written next.  Opened two new accounts this evening in Spanish.  It was nice but took a while.  Nathaniel is in bed but not sleeping.  I'm going to rock him and see which of us falls asleep first.

More later…

Took a great photo tonight, hasn't uploaded yet.  Will send separately.

Pictionary by Zoom

Dear family,

I hope your day was great.  Another chore is calling me, so I'm going to send this message and move on to my next project.

Much love for all,

Dad

Wednesday, February 3, 2021
9:04 pm

Yesterday was a frustrating day at work.  As noted in my last entry, we had some networking problems on Monday.  We isolated it to a firewall that was going out and replaced the hardware.  That solved the problem for a few hours, then our phones started disconnecting.  It looked like we were having conflicts with our IP addresses, and by Tuesday it was getting really bad.  After spending far too much time on it, we finally realized it had nothing to do with the new firewall; our ISP was having major issues.  It was purely coincidence that problem B started almost at the same time Problem A was solved.  Oh brother.  In hindsight, I should have called Solzorro, our new IT service provider, and turned the problem over to them much earlier.  That's what I pay them for, and what they expect to do.  But I am not used to having them available, and I really like knowing what's going on.  However, when a different question arose later yesterday, I took one look, knew I didn't know the easy answer, and had the employee contact Solzorro directly.  Today we didn't have any networking problems at all.  Much better day.

Last night we had a financial audit at Church; it went perfectly with no adverse findings.  Happy day.  Then we had Bishopric meeting, and I was happy with it.  We reviewed lots of points from Sunday's Bishop's training meeting with the Stake Presidency.  I sure love working with my counselors; they are such good men.

Tonight we had a YM activity via Zoom and played Pictionary.  We use the whiteboard functionality to give the kids a turn to draw priesthood-related pictures, then read a scripture or Conference quote about that item.  I was happy with how it went and hope the kids had fun.

Spencer wants to go driving tonight.  Nathaniel needs a bath.  The kitchen still needs to be cleaned and laundry needs to be folded.  We'll see which of those things happens tonight, and which get deferred.

Thankful: I'm really thankful the computers are working again the way they should.  And I'm thankful my dentist visit this morning found no cavities!

Ministering: I hope the YM activity tonight was an uplifting experience for our young men.  I also ministered to my family today by getting a load of laundry in the washer and moved to the dryer, packing lunches, unloading one dishwasher and reloading it, and playing Sleeping Queens with Camilla, all before 7:45 am.  "Self, great day!"

More later…

Check out this painting Jessie made!  I stand all amazed...

Two for One

Dear family,

I had just finished my journal entry last night and was getting ready to compose an email when my laptop battery died.  So today you get a two-for-one special.

Mark, it was nice to listen to your conversation sporadically.  Sorry I couldn't participate more; the firewall problems demanded my attention.  Fingers crossed that it is fixed now.

One item I think you mentioned was feeling frustrated when you can't bring the Book of Mormon into conversations with honest people who don't want to bash, but who have sincere concerns about the restoration.  One idea - just as these people respectfully share their honest concerns, you can return that respect with a heartfelt request that they let you share a couple of your favorite passages from the Book of Mormon.  You can explain that you're not sharing this because you expect it to convert them or prove your point, but if they really want to understand why we believe what we do, nothing will help them understand that better than hearing a couple choice passages. Not everyone will accept that invitation, but the honest in heart may be willing to listen to understand your point of view.  You share, let the Holy Ghost do the rest.

Much love to everyone,

Dad

Sunday, January 31, 2021
9:04 pm

Yesterday was chore day, and we got a lot done.  In the afternoon, Bro. Crandall and I took the last of our popcorn invitations out to the priests for Wednesday's activity.  I was holding Nathaniel when he came to pick me up; Nathaniel let it be known that he had no intention of letting go of me, so he came along.  It was nice to have him with me.  When I got back, Julie and the kids were watching Look to the Sky, an inspirational documentary by Brett Culp.  He tells uplifting stories about people who make a difference in the world.  It was a good way to spend the evening.

Today was a good day, but really busy.  I left for my first meeting this morning at 5:50, was home for 45 minutes during a short break before coming home just before 5:00 this evening.  I am really happy with what we accomplished today.  Bishopric and Ward Council were good.  I had a good interview with a ward member, and we had our first Priest Quorum presidency meeting and Ward Youth Council meeting.  Both of those last meetings gave me an opportunity to start mentoring our youth leaders.  As a Bishopric, we have primary responsibility for the young men and young women in the ward.  One of the best ways I can think of to change their lives is to give them experience leading.  If they can develop this skill and use it effectively, they will be that much more powerful as adults.

After those meetings I had a brief respite at home before going to the Stake Center for bishops training with the stake presidency.  They are wonderful men; I took lots of notes at our meeting with ideas to implement in our ward.  A thought occurred to me regarding my experience the first couple weeks after I was set apart as the Bishop.  Those first few weeks were intense, with some significantly challenging issues that are not yet resolved.  I was on the phone with Pres. Brinkerhoff every couple of days seeking guidance and counseling together.  That crucible helped me come to know and love my Stake President even more, and I think it helped me develop a better understanding of how the Lord carries out His work to bless His children.  I'm grateful for the lessons I am learning.  And also grateful that that level of intensity is not the norm.

Tonight Dad, Mom and Randy joined us for dinner.  It's the first time we've had them over since before Dad contracted COVID.  It was really nice to be together again.  The pot roast was excellent, and the roasted veggies were amazing.  After dinner we had a hymn-along.  I read scriptures and a chapter of Cricket in Times Square. I sure enjoy reading to my kids.  Even though it was well past bedtime, I even got a smile from Julie as I "performed" a passage with voice inflections and personality.  Now poor Isaac is lying in bed, complaining that he is "bored."  Oh well.

Thankful: Today.  Nothing about today was "perfect," but everything about today was nice.  And in mortality, that's definitely something to be grateful for.

Ministering: I hope I ministered to the youth in our ward through the meetings we held.

More later…

Monday, February 1, 2021
9:30 pm

I had big plans when I got to work today, but some computer problems stole most of the day from me.  Fortunately none of them were showstoppers, and I think we got everything taken care of by the end of the day.

Thankful:  The best thing about today was going to the doctor for a checkup ultrasound for Julie.  It was great.  The baby is growing and is about 5 days ahead of previous estimates.  Blood sugar and blood pressure were both fine.  The doctor said the way things look now, he thinks we won't need to induce at 37 weeks but can wait until 38 or 39 weeks.  That puts us roughly between Rachel's birthday and mine.  While we are excited to bring this new one home, we are more eager to let lungs fully develop and avoid a visit to NICU like we had with Nathaniel.  I feel so thankful that things are going well.  Truly our prayers are answered over and over again.

Ministering: Does working on the agenda for tomorrow evening's bishopric meeting count?  Packing lunch for my kids?  🤷‍️

More later…

I asked the kids to compact the recycle bin tonight.  Once they had stomped the cardboard below the level of the lid, they took turns lying in it and getting rides up and down the driveway from Spencer.  What sillies.