Don't run out of fuel

Hi Jessie,

It was so fun to talk to you today!  I'm glad the video connection was pretty good.  It was especially fun to watch Nathaniel interact with you.  What a tremendous blessing we have to video chat every week.  He'll know you when you come home; how cool is that?

I hope you enjoy teaching your friend in Madrid.  If he offers to fly you over to Spain at the end of your mission, let him know your dad has to come too! 😂

We love you and pray for you in every way!

Love,

Dad

Wednesday, May 6, 2020
9:20 pm

Ever have one of "those days"?  Today was one of those days.  I started the day helping Mike.  He ran out of fuel (diesel) at 1:30 this morning by the University Ave offramp.  I brought him some more fuel, he tried unsuccessfully to get it to start, took him to his condo for tools, and tried again unsuccessfully to start it.  I left in time to get to work in time for a 10:00 am meeting.  He finally got it started around noon with the help of the Incident Response folks on the freeway.

I met with an IT security company to talk about services they provide.  I had marketing meeting with Ryan.  I had frustrating interactions with my phone provider and our core software provider.  Both of them provide good service most of the time, but interactions when we need something or have a question leave me feeling frustrated that they can't/won't do more for us.

It was also incredibly frustrating that we messed up a simple transaction for a member that we have messed up on before, and who writes books and does customer service training.  He has asked to provide this training for my staff.  How can I refuse when we keep proving to him that we are incompetent??

We enjoyed visiting with Jessie this afternoon.  She's excited to spend another transfer with her current companion, Sis. Jolley.  They seem to get along great, and I'm so happy for that.  They are teaching a man online who lives in Spain.  The way missionary work is progressing during this pandemic is truly bizarre.  But it's progressing, and this is the Lord's work, not mine.  If he wants to upend the way we thing this should be done, who am I to argue?

The kids were having a water fight when I got home.  Everyone was chilly but happy.  Pancakes for dinner and some homemade macaroons from grandma for dessert were a big hit.

Thankful: I am thankful that my "frustrating" days are so good.  There are so many people who don't have the light of the gospel to give meaning to their challenges.  Many don't know how they will feed their families.  Far too many are fleeing violence and persecution.  I feel guilty for feeling grumpy when my almost perfect life doesn't go exactly as I wish.

Ministering: This morning I ministered to Mike with the best attitude I could muster.  Even though I couldn't help him get it started when I was with him, I got him some of the resources he needed.  And I appreciate that he was considerate of my time so I could make it on time for my meetings.  That was remarkably understanding of him.

More later…

Refueling on the side of I-15.

One cleaned out flower bed.

 

Moving flowers

Hello Jessie,

Happy p-day eve!  Has spring arrived in Canada?  It was beautiful here today.  I'm glad I remembered to wear my wide-brimmed hat while working outside today to prevent sunburn.  I hope you've got something fun planned for p-day tomorrow.  We're looking forward to visiting with you - the kids mentioned a couple times that "we get to talk to Jessie tomorrow!"

Much love,

Dad

Tuesday, May 5, 2020
9:15 pm

It was a full and good day today.  Mark and I worked outside all morning clearing everything out of the flowerbed under the bay window.  Nothing has grown well there for a long time, so Julie had us pull out all the tulips (approximately 100) and move them to the bigger flowerbed on the other side.  By the time we finished that it was almost time for me to go to work, so Mark unloaded a truckload of stuff at the compost site and brought back some compost to till into the unproductive flowerbed.  It's sure nice to have such hard workers in my family!

Work went very fast.  Because I got in after lunch, it felt like I barely got in the office when it was time to come back home.  One good thing that happened is that an auto loan that was significantly past due and lacked insurance got resolved.  Happy for that.  Tomorrow looks really full.

Abbie's appointment to have her wisdom teeth removed is scheduled for May 29.  Lucky her!

Mark and Julie went shopping today for his mission.  He bought some shoes and priced out other clothes. I helped Emma with her reading homework before I went to work and we played Sleeping Queens this evening.  Spencer has been emptying the rest of the compost out of the back of dad's truck.  I need to take it back to him tonight.  The Honda battery died again – there must be an electrical problem somewhere.  It is getting towed to Clegg's tomorrow to try to isolate the problem.

Justin came over tonight to work on Spanish with Mark.  Mark and I also practiced Spanish this morning while working on the flowers.  Me gusta hacer esto.

Thankful: I'm thankful for the way it feels after exercising.  The gardening we did this morning was pretty physical, and it just felt good.

Ministering: I think I was able to help a couple different credit union members today.  Nothing too impressive, but I think I made a difference.

More later…

The bummer thing about planting bulbs in late spring is you have to wait for ten months to see how you did!

Not full sentences

Hi Jessie,

Tonight's entry doesn't include a lot of full sentences.  But I did find a fun picture from yesterday!

Love,

Dad

Monday, May 4, 2020
9:21 pm

"I have big plans to accomplish lots of good."  Sheesh. Today was only marginally effective.  Blah.  Had a training session on a new service we are implementing, but it wasn't terribly effective.  Had a demo from a company that provides video production services.  We've thought about producing some animated/whiteboard videos, but weren't planning to spend $4k for a 60-second spot or $10k for 2-minutes.  But it was worth getting exposure to the medium and understanding the cost.

I indexed today at lunch.  All were for a man who died from a lung infection two weeks after enlisting in the United States Colored Troops in 1865.  Would be interesting to know more of his story.

Tacos for dinner tonight with last night's leftover pork roast and fresh guacamole.  Fabulous.  Played dodgeball for FHE, lesson on attributes shared by Abinadi and Pres Monson – courage, determination, integrity.  Key lime pie for dessert.

Nighttime activity is folding four loads of laundry.

Thankful: I don't have to change the oil in my car myself.  I dropped the Toyota off on my way to work and picked it up at lunchtime.

Ministering: Mostly failed at this today.

More later…

This is Abbie's picture for yesterday's song teaching us that Jesus will give us all he has if we will receive it.

Thought on Mosiah 12:20-24

20 And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:

21 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;

22 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;

23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;

24 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God?

Mosiah 12:20-24

Book of Mormon

Scriptures

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/12?lang=eng&verse=20&context=20-24#p20

Why this question?

I have always been puzzled why the priests of Noah chose this passage of scripture to quiz Abinadi. I think I have an idea:
These verses are so hopeful in nature. They are verses of rejoicing and celebration in the goodness, mercy and power of God. All the ends of the earth are invited to rejoice together. Possibly the wicked priests were using these verses and others like them to justify their wickedness, arguing that because all the ends of the earth are to sing together, there was no need for them to repent. God's goodness and kindness would cause him to overlook their evil deeds. The God they are imagining up for themselves is all mercy, no justice. This is nearly the opposite of the God Abinadi introduces them to - seemingly all justice and no mercy.
Fortunately for us, these verses give Abinadi a wonderful foundation from which to spring into a meaningful doctrinal discussion of the nature of God and the plan of redemption. 

Long Sunday Entry

Hi Jessie,

How was your sabbath?  Read on to learn what we did.  I think I recorded most of our activities.

I love you and hope you and Sis. Jolley are doing well, having fun, and feeling righteously-happy.  Thanks for being a great example to our family!  We love you!

Love,

Dad

Sunday, May 3, 2020
9:24 pm

Today was a typical Sunday – parts of it were really good, while other parts were a little less good.  We enjoyed Music and the Spoken Word this morning before partaking of the sacrament at 11:00.  I joined the 4^th Ward Council and discussed the self-reliance program.  They asked about starting an online-version of the program, so I sent an email to the stake self-reliance committee tonight to inquire about getting this started.

We had a couple activities together that were effective.  I printed out footsteps that we colored and wrote on them guidance we have received from the Prophet.  Then we talked about how we are following that guidance and placed the papers on the ground.  They led to Mark who was holding a picture of the temple.  He taught us that this is an earthly representation of God's house, and following the counsel of our Prophet will bring us back to God.

We watched the next BoM video.  This one was Ammon and King Lamoni.  It was fun to watch.  They dealt with some of the more gruesome parts with as much discretion as possible.  We had to explain parts to the little girls as it progressed, but as soon as it was done they both asked to watch it again.  We didn't replay it today, but it's good to know they'd enjoy it again in the future.

Julie walked us through an activity drawing pictures to help us learn the words to the song Jesus was no Ordinary Man.  None of the kids knew this song, and the pictures were a lot of fun.

I went on a walk with Neil, Isaac, Emma and Camilla this afternoon.  The kids were hoping we would get outside early enough to walk in a light rain that was falling, but the rain was done by the time we got shoes on everyone.  We went to the cemetery, parked the stroller, and walked among the headstones looking for our birthdates.  I think we found everyone's except Isaac's.  That gives us something to look for next week!

Dinner today was wonderful.  I tried a new recipe for pork loin, and several people asked me to write this one down for future use.  Coupled with sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and ranch bread courtesy of Mark… it was a feast.  We finished with homemade pizzella cones with ice cream.  Now I just wish I was hungry enough to have seconds.  Oh, and there is just enough pork left over to make pork tacos for dinner tomorrow with our avocados.  I love eating good food!

Thankful: I'm grateful for fasting.  Today I fasted for the following:

1.       Help overcoming the natural man through the atonement of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 3:19).  I always want help putting off the natural man, and am wondering now how to do that through the atonement of Christ.  I think there is much here to understand.

2.       For the coronavirus to be contained.  I'm ready for things to get back to normal.  A new normal where we are more concerned about our friends and neighbors sounds great to me.  And any normal that includes a return to church and the temple will be welcome.

3.       Jessie – I always pray for her, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

4.       Mark – He will be set apart as a missionary next week.  We're just not sure what his MTC experience will be like, or where he will be assigned to serve at the end of his training.

5.       Mike Christensen and his family – I don't know how to help them, but God does.  The challenges they are facing really are difficult.  One of the hardest things for me is that they require patience; there is no easy, quick fix.

Ministering: My ministering today was with the fourth ward and as a member of the stake self-reliance committee.  The program the Church has put together is really top-notch.  There are comparable programs available commercially that cost a lot of money.  We should do everything we can to help our members take advantage of this resource to bless themselves and their families, especially now as there is so much uncertainty.

I'm excited for the new week.  I have big plans to accomplish lots of good.  And that will start best with a good night's sleep.  More later…

At dinner we used the candlesticks that Grandpa W and the kids made last week while they were visiting.

Emma and Camilla participating in a Sunday activity

Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

Hello Jessie,
I hope things are going great!  Things are starting to open up here a
little bit; are you seeing anything developing in Alberta?  Based on some
guidelines I read in the paper this week, it sounds like we won't be able
to return to church until fall.  That's far longer than I had hoped.  I
presume that means the temple won't be open until then either, and then
they are talking about limiting ordinances to small groups for living
ordinances only.  That means I may not be able to return to the temple
regularly until possibly next year.  I hope that's not the case!
Enjoy your Sabbath day tomorrow.  We will think of you!
Love,
Dad

Laundry day!  I lost track of how many loads we washed and dried, but it was a lot.  There is one more ready to fold and another in the dryer, then we’ll be done with most of the laundry.  There are still a couple more loads that are ready to go in, but it’s getting late and I think we’ve folded enough for today.  We mopped the kitchen and dining room.  The bedrooms were cleaned so mom could vacuum upstairs.  She emptied the vacuum twice.  Yuck.

This morning I made banana muffins with two bananas that were so old they were entirely black and the peels were turning to shells.  I had to cut out some bruised parts, so I added some applesauce.  And they turned out wonderfully.

We participated in the semiannual ritual of digging through the buckets of clothes in the basement to get out summer clothes and put away winter clothes.  It is so… amazing? Nostalgic? Bittersweet?  Pick your word, it’s an interesting experience to pull out clothes for a young person that I remember a now-big person wearing when they were small.  Camilla looks great in the green striped Blues Clues shirt that Abbie wore more than ten years ago.  Either Emma or Camilla now has a dress that Julie and I remember Jessie wearing when she was little.

Last night Julie and I were talking and commented that we are both astonished that on June 1 we will have been in this house for eight years. The eight years in this home have gone so much faster than the first eight years in our last house.  In just three more years we will have been in this house as long as our last home.  Incredible.

This afternoon I spent a couple hours with Mike.  He wanted to show me the hotel where he is staying while his condo is repaired, then we went to the condo for a while.  The bottom two feet of all the sheetrock is torn off in the whole house and all the carpet is gone.  As long as that is torn up, Mike has decided to run some networking and video cables to wire up his home.  I tried to help him run some HDMI cable, but he couldn’t find his fish tape, and pushing the loose cable through the ceiling didn’t work.

On the way home I needed to get a new bottle nipple for Nathaniel, and decided to get a roast for dinner tomorrow since I was already stopping somewhere.  It was a comedy of errors.  Went to WinCo and had everything ready to go when I realized they don’t accept credit cards, I didn’t have enough cash, and I am not sure I remember the PIN on my debit card.  (Really embarrassing given my profession.)  Put everything back, then went to Smith’s.  Smith’s was nearly out of bananas, but I found a box of organic bananas that was under the regular display.  Beef is absurdly expensive, so I got a pork loin to fix tomorrow.  And their selection of baby bottles was pathetic.  I got one, but it filled Nathaniel so full of bubbles that he spit nearly everything back out.  That shopping trip wasn’t a failure (I did get two avocados for $1 each!), but I wouldn’t categorize it as a success either.

Thankful: I am very thankful for dishwashers (three loads today) and our washer and dryer.  We have three cars and they all work perfectly.  Two ovens and a stove to cook our food.  Buckets of clothes downstairs so we don’t have to buy new clothes for our kids as they grow.  We’re so, so blessed.

Ministering: Today I ministered to Mike.  I’m glad I could spend some time with him, and I hope it helped him feel important.

More later…

Hanging out with Mike

Spencer is getting very good at juggling!

It's May!

Dear Jessie,

Welcome to May!  Are there any May Day celebrations in Canada?  In many parts of the world, May Day is a day to celebrate workers and/or organized labor.  I just loved the fact that it is so springy.

I hope your day is excellent!

Love,

Dad

Friday, May 1, 2020
8:55 pm

How can a day go so quickly?  I started with scripture study and found a meaningful scripture related to last night's comment about temple work.  I read D&C 127:4, talking about continuing in the work of the temple.  My comment:

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all temples are closed in early 2020. I am not able to worship in the temple weekly, as has been my pattern. I miss this opportunity. After many weeks, I am beginning to feel the need for the spiritual strength that comes from regular temple service. Last night as I thought about this I had the impression that I should focus more diligently on family history and indexing; today I read this scripture. I have received the word of the Lord through personal revelation. It is now my responsibility to act on that revelation.

Because I (hopefully) can take a divine hint, I indexed a batch of names at lunch.  All ten records were related to the same soldier (Charles H. Carl) from Rhode Island who served in the US Colored Infantry in the civil war.  He enlisted at age 19 and was court marshalled once for leaving his post.

I am getting used to the revised structure of my to-do list.  I'm not very good at it yet, but I think it's going to really be helpful once I finish configuring it.  I made lots of progress on our end-of-month tasks.  Loans didn't do too badly last month, all things considered.  Income will be decent at about $30k.  We increased nearly $2 million in deposits and finished with just under $46 million in assets.  I also worked a lot on plans for how we will begin to reopen the lobby.

We had waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for dinner.  The waffle iron broke – the hinge cracked, meaning the "top" falls off when you rotate it 180 degrees.  After more than a decade, it has given its last waffle and is now in the garbage.  Sadly, one of Julie's favorite measuring cups also broke. It was a hard night for kitchen gadgets.

I gave Nathaniel a bath.  He didn't like it at first, but was much happier by the end.

Thankful: I'm thankful that Mark, Abbie and Spencer are almost home.  I've been watching them on Google maps, and they're about fifteen minutes away after leaving at 5:00 this morning.  I hope they had a great time, and I'm glad they're almost home safely.

Ministering: I tried to call Mike again tonight, but missed him.  I sent him a text to let him know I'm still thinking of him.  I also tried to express a lot of appreciation today for my employees.

More later…

PS - I didn't take any photos today, so here are two temple photos from the archives, since I'm thinking of temples today...