Just wanted to say a little bit about our first Sunday as the Bennion 6th ward. Kelley went up to the ward correlation meeting before church to talk to them about the luau (dressed in full grass skirt and hawiian shirt...ha ha perfect first impression for the 6th ward people who have never met him! I love him!) Anyway, KC and I drove up ourselves.

Judy was walking in the same time we were and we talked a little about how this change would affect her and her friends from the old ward. She said Joann was going to be able to keep going to the old ward, but they wanted Judy to give the new ward a try. She said " I thought about coming here alone, and considered just staying home...that would be the easiest choice...but I knew that was wrong, so here I am!" She has got to be one of my favorite people ever. Love her a lot.

We walked in and were greeted on every side from people from the 6th ward. They were so friendly and sweet...everyone was introducing themselves and really making us feel welcome. The chapel filled right up...then the over flow and the whole gym. Wow! There was a tangible feeling of excitement and anticipation.

Bishop Blake talked a while about the blending of the wards. I can't even imagine what an incredible job that bishopric has ahead of them in making everyone feel needed. There was a really good feeling there and you knew the Lord was guiding these changes.

President Rindlesbacher talked a little, then told everyone of the change of the executive secretary...releasing the old one and putting Kelley in as the new one. He is a really cool guy...very down to earth. He made a comment about Kelley's shiny head...that made me like him even more!

After Sacrament meeting, Kelley and I ran home to make some sign up sheets for the luau. We didn't know if it was really going to fly until after the correlation meeting, so we didn't make them yet. Then we hurried back to send them around in Relief Society, and the other organizations.

There was a good feeling in Relief Society. It was nice to be able to go! I've missed hearing the lessons.

Kelley came into Relief Society and talked a little bit about the luau. It's a perfect time for everyone to get to know each other. I hope the people from the old ward will come too! It was pretty great to see the sign up sheet almost filled after it went around. I think everyone is trying to make this change a good experience.

Anyway, after church, I kept thinking of the words to the closing song we sang that day... it really describes my feelings...

"Before thee Lord, I bow my head and thank thee for what has been said; my soul vibrates, my poor heart sings, when thy sweet spirit strikes the strings... As I go forth again to mingle with my fellow men...stay thou near-by, my steps to guide, that I may in thy love abide....

My heart is full, mine eyes are wet, Oh, help me Lord...lest I forget."

I don't want to ever forget the sweet feelings of love I felt this day.

Saturday was a great day....because I got to spend it with my sisters! I picked up Teina and we headed up to mum's. After visiting for a little while and catching up on each other 's lives, we went to work.
We had decided to tackle the old garage...which I learned really was mum and daddy's old garage. I guess when they moved into that house, this big garage was just east of their house. When they built the new garage west of the house, they put the old garage on rollers and moved it to where it is sitting now.

First of all we found a big box of patterns. They sure brought back a lot of memories ! We all remembered certain dresses or outfits mum had sewn for us from these patterns.
Last time we were together, we found several boxes of cards and notes that we had all given to mother. She had really saved everything. Teina took them home and sorted them out so we could each have the ones that we gave to her. I didn't look at them till I got home, but when I did, I was sure touched. There was little poems and pictures I had drawn for her as I grew up, and then she had saved all the cards and letters our kids had made for her too. Reading those brought to the surface all the sweet tender feelings I have had for my mom all of my life. Anyway, that was super nice of Teina...it must have taken her hours to go through all those cards! She also made us all a copy of this picture we had taken of all the grandkids that is really neat! We cleaned out the tree house...it was mostly filled with tarps and canning stuff. Back behind everything though was this cute little cupboard daddy had built for us girls to play house with.( I don't think the cupboard was in it till it was on the ground)
We were thinking about how cool this tree house used to be. Daddy had built it for Bruce and it was everything a young boy could ever want. It was built in the top of the old macentosh tree in the orchard. I remember there was a rope hanging down from it that you had to be able to climb to get up into it. So that kept all of us sissy girls out.
Then one day there was a terrible wind storm, the branch split apart that it was sitting on, and the tree house ended up on the ground. Now it was fare game for all of us! We spent hours and hours playing in that tree house. We had lots of fun sleep overs with our girl friends in it.

Next we moved into the garage. There is a big book case filled with old books. We thought we might as well tackle that. We hauled all the books out onto the lawn in the back yard cause it was pretty hot in the garage. Then we sat and looked through them a little bit, then took turns picking one. There was some pretty cool old ones. A first edition of Peter and Wendy. Lots of neat old missionary books that daddy had used on his mission. When we were looking through one of the missionary books when I got home, there was a letter written in Tahitian. Wish I knew someone who could translate it! Daddy's brother Morgan (boot) was the owner of most of the old books. He must have really read a lot!

When we were going through an old cabinet in the garage, we came across this real treasure...daddy's bead work...

He had made the most beautiful pieces. We were able pick one for each of our kids and one for us too. Some were belts and I was lucky to get an awesome wallet he had made. He had little viles of beads and the invisible thread and needles he used in the box too. The box was really speciall too...all covered with shells, I imagine he made on his mission.

The groovy lamp that hung in the living room for as long as I can remember.

The tricycles...dang...there are only three...that's going to be a tough one to divide up...all of our kids have loved those tricycles. I do not look forward to the day when we have to divide up some of these more sentimental items.

The day flys by so fast...before we knew, it was close to 8:00. We went home dirty, sweaty and tired, but felt good for what we accomplished that day.

We've had a busy week. We went up fishing on Monday. It was a beautiful day! KC brought his friend Nelson. We all caught fish so that made it extra fun.

Monday night we were studying the scriptures...(Kelley and I have been working on the Book of Mormon) Having KC study with us has been great! I'm really grateful to have him share his knowledge and testimony with us as we study.

Tuesday night Kelley got a call from the stake executive secretary. He said the new stake president wanted to meet with Kelley and I Wednesday night.

KC started school on Wednesday morning. We had been looking for him a car but hadn't seen anything too great. After chasing back and forth from the school, then home so I could use the car to go to racquetball, then back to school, we realized we needed to buckle down and find him a car!

KC found one on KSL classifieds that sounded pretty good. So after KC's classes we drove over to Ken Garff to look at it. They had just sold it that morning. We were bummed about that, but decided to look at another on that he found on his phone while we were driving. It was at a car lot called SNG. It really looked like one of those fly by night lots, but the car sitting there looked pretty nice. The lot was closed but KC called and told them we would come in the next day to look at it.

So the next morning, Kelley and I went in to look at it. KC was going to come meet us there after his class. We went into the office there and the guy that was there spoke to us with a really strong Russian accent. What's the chance of that!

We told him we were there to look at the Ford Focus. It looked real nice but when Kelley tried to sit in it, he couldn't get his legs under the steering wheel. KC is not a lot smaller than Kelley, so we figured that one probably wasn't going to work out.

We asked the Russian guy if he had anything else in this price range. He said "Only one...bery good car...Jetta"

We looked at the Jetta and it was really nice. It didn't seem like it would be bigger, but it was much roomier. KC was all about getting good gas mileage so this one seemed perfect!

By this time, KC had gotten there. He was really excited when we told him the sales man was Russian. The sales man was pretty surprised at how well KC spoke Russian.

He said KC sounded like he was from Baltic area. It was fun to hear KC speak Russian like that. I think he really enjoyed speaking it again too.

Anyway, we got all the information on the Jetta and took it for a test drive. It is not automatic, so Kelley drove it. KC said he wanted to have a standard, so that wasn't going to be a problem. It was pretty zippy and we all felt pretty good about it, so we decided that that was the one.

When we were working on the paper work, the sales man said he would give us a better price "because you are handsome young man and you speak bery good Russian!"

I think by this point, KC and Peter (that's the salesman) had become BFF's and KC said he wanted to invite him over for dinner!

It was pretty cool, and I think not by chance that we met this man.

KC drove our car home, Kelley drove his truck home and I got to drive the new car home. It has been a while since I've driven a shifter, but it all came back to me ( after a few lurches)

I was almost home, when I looked at the dash board of the car and the clock said it was 12:40. I had told Candice I would meet her at Cafe Rio at 12:30, so I headed right over there. I pulled into a parking spot, then looked at my phone to see if Candice had called and realized it was only five to twelve. So I go to back out, but when I put it into reverse, it goes forward! There was a car parked in front of me and after a few tries at going in reverse, I was pretty darn close to the car. I didn't know what to do so I called Kelley. I remembered them telling him something about shifting into reverse, but wasn't paying very good attention. Kelley said I needed to push the top of the gear shift down, then shift to the spot I had been shifting to. It worked just fine! Man I was relieved!

So I took the car home and Kelley and I went back up to meet Candice at Cafe Rio. Had a nice lunch with her and Joe.

Later that afternoon, we took KC out to get the emissions and safety testing done, then on the way home, we stopped at the church parking lot so he could practice driving.

After a few tries, he was able to take off pretty smooth! We were talking about how we learned how to drive a manual. I had learned on daddy's old blue truck and had driven around and around the orchard till I could do it. That truck was pretty fun to drive! It had a starter button that you had to push with your foot while you pushed on the gas too. Then I remember it took both hands to shift the gears.( I was just a skinny little girl)

Anyway, we practiced till he felt pretty good about it, then went home...we figured we would have time to go out on the freeway with him the next day before he went on his date.

Kelley and I met with the President Rindlesbacher later Wednesday night. He was really nice. We started talking and discovered that he was raised in Amalga and went to Sky View. He was a senior when I was a sophomore. He has a brother who still lives in Providence that was my age. Wow! what a small world. Anyway, he was really great. He called Kelley to be the executive secretary in our new ward. That will be a lot of work, but fun too, to work with Richard and Josh. I think it will help to have someone who knows the people in our area work with their bishopric to help them mesh these two wards. I can't even imagine what a tremendous task it is for this bishopric to make this all work out.

We went out to the DMV in Draper Thursday morning to get the plate for the new car. It's like the difference of night and day between that DMV and the one here in Taylorsville. When we went in there to get KC's drivers license after he got home, we had to wait in a huge line just to get a number so we could sit down and wait some more. The one out south was pretty much empty. We walked right up to a counter and had everything taken care of in a few minutes! Well worth the drive!

In the mean time, our refrigerator has been slowly dying. It was still cool, but not cool enough. I went to pour milk on my cereal Friday morning, and it came out in chunks. Ok, it was time for a new one. ( We had had this one repaired several times and didn't want to sink anymore money into it.)

So I looked through all the ads and Kelley and I went out on the hunt. We discovered at the first store, that we were going to have trouble. Our kitchen cabinets had been built around the fridge that we had then...and it was just a little bit shorter than the fridges they are making now. The opening is 67 3/4 inches and almost every fridge is 68 or taller. Why??????????

We went in about every store in town, without any luck then decided to go to the RC Willey downtown. The guy helping us there was really nice and really bent over backwards to help us out. They didn't have anything out on the floor that would work, but he said there was one in their inventory that was a shorter version of one that we liked that was on the floor. Sold!

He was going to set up delivery for the next day, but we told him we needed it now! Our food was going bad as we spoke! So he said we could pick it up at the warehouse ourselves.

So we drove clear out to their warehouse and I'm talking CLEAR out there! It is clear out by the dump! ( which by the way really stinks! I had no idea!)

So we get it all loaded up and tied down in Kelley's truck and head for home. By the time we get there, it's almost time for KC to go on his date with this girl that Camille lined him up with. He stuck around for a bit though to help Kelley unload it. The neighbor guys across the street came over and helped him too. Well we get it all unloaded and all the wrapping off and discover it has big dents on both back corners. Ahhhhhhhhh. So I called the nice guy that sold it to us and told him about it. He said they could give us little bit off the price, or we could bring it back in and have them give us a new one. What a dilemma! I thought we should get more money off than what he was offering, ( they were big dents!) but taking it back in and trading for a new one was just too big of a hassle...plus our food was all going bad! So we decided to keep it. The dents don't show under the cabinet, so I guess it doesn't matter.

By this time, KC was leaving for his date (without ever practicing how to drive on the freeway in his new car...a little bit nervous to say the least)

I was kind of worried about him, so after about a half hour, I called him but he didn't answer. I figured he couldn't while he was driving...( he was going up to Kamas to pick her up, then they were going to go over to Strawberry and go out on the boat fishing) and tried not to worry.

Well about 8:00, KC calls Kelley. Kelley gets this kind of sick look on his face, then goes outside to talk to him. He comes back in and tells me that KC dropped the key ( the one and only) to his new car into the lake. I guess he had put some power bait on his hook, then wanted to wash off his hands, so leaned over the side of the boat (keys in shirt pocket) and keys went in water. I can't even tell you how many things have gone into the lake this way....phones, glasses, binoculars, etc.

So we hop in the truck and head for Strawberry. It takes about an hour and a half to get up there but we got there in about an hour. Kelley was going pretty fast...something he never does... and I was just praying all the way that no dear would jump out in front of the truck....we saw a lot of them on the sides of the road.

We got there and Kelley went down to the boat to get them. We got the VIN number off the car dash board so we could get a key made, then drove his date home. She was really a neat girl and didn't seem to mind how things had gone at all. In fact, she was really sweet about it and said it would be a date she would always remember!

Kelley securing the fridge

KC and Tiffany waiting for rescue squad

Kelley showing KC how to use the clutch...

Getting emissions and safety testing done...ha ha...Cody said the back lights on the car are illegal....they are the kind people put on a real souped up car. We'll have to change those...he'll get pulled over for sure knowing our luck!

The past month my life has been a whirl wind so I've gotten a little behind....

I've taken a few pictures though and through them you can see it's been a pretty wonderful month!
Having Camille's family here has been a little bit of heaven for me.

Then to have KC back home... well words can't describe.

The girls bought me a Hydrangea plant for the new rock garden. Beautiful! We went and had Keelee do our hair one day.

Sure do love that girl. She has been through a lot in her young life and always keeps an amazingly happy and positive attitude.

Checking out the latest scoop We went over to Grampas one day and helped clean a little.

I got to do the china cabinet...I love to look at all of grandmas pretty dishes.







Olivia was in heaven playing with all of the cute little statues and do dads on the shelves.

We went to the mall one day but realized when we got there that we had forgotten the stroller....sooooooo we improvised. Worked out pretty awesome except for the funny looks we got pushing the shopping cart through the mall.

We went up fishing one day and had a lot of fun.

Sam and Olivia did NOT like the life jackets

New shoes...hard to find ones that fit his fat little feet!

Rick came over and replaced our old lights in the front steps. He's always doing nice things like that. We're so lucky to have such great friends. He is the best!
Everyone was great in helping us get ready for KC's homecoming party...friends and family offering to help with food and tables and chairs and getting yard ready.

We decided to have a get together Saturday night instead of Sunday after church because we were getting ready to head to California Sunday night.

It was such a fun night...I was once again overwhelmed by the love and support we received from friends, neighbors and family.
KC playing head down with Candice ...that's her under there...not Camille with a really long body. We all got pedicures up at Song's. Olivia makes friends where ever she goes!

Getting a massage..."feels bumpy grandma!"Kelley was a peach to watch the kids any time at all. Pretty sure he loved it...this is what we would come home to...

This is Sam's new favorite face. That little boy is such a joy! He is just happy all the time!
The time flew by with Camille's family here. Kellen had been working hard on getting a job but without much luck. Jobs are hard to come by right now.

When it seemed like nothing was working out, he decided to fly here and work for Dan while he kept looking for a job. He had only been here for a few days when he got a call from a place where he had applied in Arizona, asking him to come in for an interview. He knew he couldn't pass up an opportunity, Sooo he flew back home, only to be called an hour before his appointment telling him the position had been filled.

We were all way bummed about that! It's pretty tough to watch these kids struggle to get their lives started after they have worked so hard and put so much into it. I don't think they ever dreamed it would be so hard to find a job.

A few days later, a company called him and asked him to come in for an interview. It's not a law firm, but a big business that does software for huge companies....( I think that's right)

Anyway, after several interviews and excruciating waiting, they called and said he had the job!

Wow, it was like a 10,000 pound weight had been lifted off their shoulders!

We were all so happy for them....happy-sad, because the job is in Scottsdale.

I guess I will just have to get used to the idea that they are going to be in Arizona for a while.

I will be happy for them to be able to settle their lives and start living a normal life. That has been something they have not been able to have yet in their 6 years of marriage.

The first thing Olivia said when Camille told her that her daddy got a job was "Oh now I can have a house and we can get a dog!!!" She has wanted that for quite some time now.

I sure admire how Camille has been able to keep a great attitude through all of this. She is always able to make the best of whatever situation she is in though and be happy.

Today was a bitter sweet day. We went to the much anticipated stake conference to learn that our ward and stake were being dissolved. Everybody has been speculating about changes in our stake. I knew something was up about a month ago. Kelley has been kind of quiet and different...like he had something on his mind, but when I asked him about it, he wouldn't tell me anything, so I just didn't ask him anymore, thinking it must be something with church that he couldn't talk about.
Last Saturday night, the stake executive secretary called and asked that Kelley and I come in with KC Sunday morning to have him report on his mission to the high council. Then he said for Kelley and I to stay and talk with Pres. Child after that.
KC gave a great report of his mission...As he bore his testimony my heart was filled with love and gratitude for so many good things in my life. I am just so proud of him and the special man he has become. Then President Child asked Kelley and I to bear our testimony...not easy when the emotions are that close to the surface.
After Kelley and I met with the stake presidency. President Child started right out telling me that our ward was being dissolved...thus releasing everyone from their callings...including the bishopric. Then he told us they were dissolving the whole stake so they were also being released as a stake presidency. It was pretty sad. I have sure loved President Child. Our family has been blessed because of the association we have had with him and his family. I have always loved Joann and their daughter Katie was very close friends with Camille. Camille spent a lot of time at their house and Stan and Joann were like second parents to her.
I found out after that Kelley has known for about a month what was going on. The stake presidency asked our bishopric not to tell anyone....and they didn't.
We got up to the church about a half hour early and the chapel was full. I guess everybody knew they would have to get there early to get a seat. By the time it started, it was full back to the stage and that was full too.
We got there in time to get "our seat" by the back door. It was pretty awesome today because then I could say hello to everyone as they came in. It was pretty funny cause the satellite broadcast table was set up behind our seat with all the cameras on it and every time someone would come in, either Kelley or I would hop up to give them a hug or shake their hand and the guy running the camera was getting all flustered cause we kept getting in the cameras way and he would have to keep telling us to sit down.
Paul Rothe sat next to us and we had a good time thinking back and chatting about when we were part of the sixth ward some 20 odd years ago. He was the bishop then and much loved by all. I remember Katie being baptized not long after we moved into that ward...still have the Book of Mormon that Bishop Rothe wrote in for her.
We loved that ward. It was a rare and special ward where everyone truly loved each other. We made life long friends in that ward...and that friendship extended beyond our ward. We would go skiing together, vacation at Lake Powell, Newport beach, and camping trips.
Then our of the blue, it was announced that we were being split from the Blake heights area and being added to a neighborhood up the street. We were devastated. How were we supposed to mesh with all these new people we had never met and form a new ward? Everyone was pretty unhappy. But over time, we started to get to know these people. As we served with them and attended meetings with them and visited with them, we grew to love them. Over the years, the relationships and friendships with these wonderful people have grown to be a priceless treasure to me. There are many people I have grown to love and admire and feel blessed to have them for my friends. I will always treasure these sweet relationships.
When they announced they were putting our neighborhood back with the sixth ward, you could feel the excitement in the room. They said Bishop Blake would continue on as the bishop of the ward. He is a great friend and will be a wonderful bishop.
The Stake presidency all talked and were really positive about the change...encouraging us to all move forward with faith. After the meeting there were lots of hugs and tears with members of the upper part of the ward. We found out that they are not even going to be in our stake anymore, which was hard to hear...at least in the same stake you can see each other once in a while. I worry for my dear Judy as she won't have her sweet lady friends to sit with in church.
There was a great feeling as the old members of the 6th ward rallied around Diane and I and we all just had a great big group hug. It will be wonderful to be with these dear friends again! I know this will be a good change...our ward has really been struggling...and it sounds like everyone else was in the same boat. It gives me a feeling of security and peace knowing that the Lord is in control and will always lead us in the ways that are best for us.

He's Home!

Pretty much best weekend ever!

Kate flew in Friday afternoon and we were just trying to dream up things to do to make the time go by till 10:30.
(at the dollar store)

We made a big welcome home banner for the front of the house, then the girls decorated t-shirts to wear to the airport ("we heart the boy!)

My cute girls...love them so !
Finally it got to be about 9:45 and we loaded everybody in the car...the anticipation level was over the top! We just got on our way and Dan calls.
"Hey where are you guys...KC's plane has landed!"

No Way! I was freaking out. The plane cannot land a half hour early!
My boy was going to get off the plane and none of us would be there!
Then I got to thinking...Dan must be joking! That would be just like something he would do! But Kelley said he could hear Brenda in the background saying it was true.

There wasn't anything we could do but just try to get there as fast as we could. Dan said he would come out and park the car for us so we could all just run in. ( He is a peach)

We got there and ran in and found Brenda waiting at the bottom of the escalator. There was another family there waiting for their missionary that was coming home from Russia with KC.

We were just so glad he hadn't gotten off the plane yet! Lots of people were coming down the escalator, but no KC. We waited and waited...the plane must surely be empty!

Then finally we see him at the top of the escalator. The video went downhill from there...(totally forgot I even had the camera in my hand)




That was a pretty great hug...He felt really tall and skinny!KC meets Sam for the first time.Kelley checking to see if he is still taller...not by much!

We thought KC would be tired after his 15 hour flight, but he was still going strong. He unpacked a little bit and gave us all cool Russian gifts. He brought Kelley a neat shopka....there will be no more cold ears while ice fishing!He got Candice this really cool Mariska with different cats on it. She loved it!

He gave me one with this neat blue Russian painting on it called Dael. ( I am surely spelling these Russian words wrong...just going by the way they sound)He got these amazing Mariska's with all the prophets painted on them.

We stayed up and talked for quite a while, then decided to call it a day.

Next morning, KC was up early and went to help Kelley with service project over at Llewelyns. When they came home, we all got ready and went over to the church with him to be released.

This was when we went out to get in the car...I knew KC was still KC when he pulled this face for me.

We met President Mendenhall over at the church. ( President Child was out of town, so he asked President Mendenhall to release KC. It was kind of funny that that happened because Pres. Child was out of town when KC was set apart too, so Pres. Mendenhall did that too...which is great...we love him!)

Pres. Mendenhall talked to KC for a while about his mission and asked him what he had learned. It was pretty wonderful to hear his answer...I was very humbled and felt the sweetest feeling as he bore his testimony.

President Mendenhall talked about what the future would hold for KC, then he said..."just one last thing to do...remove your missionary tag"

That was rough. Lots of tears and hugs.

It was really special that Jerry and Debi arranged for everyone on our street to fly their flags in honor of KC's return. That meant a lot to all of us.

Everyone has been so great and supportive. Lots of friends and neighbors came by to visit and say hello. So very happy and grateful that he is home...I told Jerry..."I can't stop smiling!"