Our Other Life--

While missionary life is fulfilling and exciting, it doesn't mean that our "outside life" has stopped.  Life keeps happening all around us.

Jena keeps busy with her missionary service at the seminary and the Distribution Center.  She is telling everyone that we are moving to Salt Lake to a new apartment and she is so excited.

This is her faith poster for the entry into the seminary building.

She was excited to attend the "Lamb of God" movie with our mission.  One of our zone members slipped us "some important mission papers" right before the movie:

How sweet was that?  After we got home, Jena immediately wrote Sister Jones a thank you note and then asked me to make sure I took a picture of the treat "for the blog."

Tosha had surgery to begin the process of repairing the damage from her surgery back before Ava was born.  It has been a long slow recovery complete with an almost full-body compression suit for six weeks--doesn't that sound fun?  Her doctor was very pleased with the results and Tosha's healing so far.

Ben remains at the Utah State Hospital.  We have recently been able to visit since we have been vaccinated so that has been great. 

Scott and his family are in town for Chantel's weight conditioning business and will spend a week in Utah.  His boss at work was recently fired so that makes for uncertainty in the workplace.  Hopefully things will settle down for him.  We are excited to see them tomorrow for our belated Easter dinner and hunt.  And Scott will help us with some moving heavy things that we need to do to prepare for our upcoming movie.

It has been a few crazy weeks and no place more crazy than for Jessica and Elessia---Monday, the 22nd, Elessia got word that her mother was put into ICU for not clear reasons.  She had been in the hospital due to diabetic complications, then had been moved to a rehab hospital, and then moved back in critical condition.  Elessia flew to Mesa, AZ, with the baby Ezri while Jessica "piece milled" care of the other 4 kids while she was gone so that Jessica could continue to work some.  Jessica had just returned to work the prior week after her 3 month maternity leave and already was taking days off the next week for Carter's surgery.  Luckily they have good friends and I came down in the afternoons on some days and overnight once to help get everyone taken care of so Jessica was able to manage some working.

Elessia's mother passed away on Wednesday so they were very grateful that Elessia had gone down.  Baby Ezri was the hit of the family as they hadn't met her yet.  She was the bright spot in a hard situation.  

Besides Jessica and Elessia's kids, the youngest cousin on
that side is 12 years old--so they had to make due for sleeping arrangements.
She slept all night.

As Carter's surgery was scheduled for March 28, the family scheduled the surgery for the following week which allowed Elessia and her sister, Jill, who was watching the kids during the week Carter was to be in the hospital, to drive back to Utah together and gave the kids an extra day to get to know their Aunt Jill before the surgery.  More on the surgery and then their return trip to AZ on the next post!

And, of course, the three of us are busy trying to get the house and yard ready and to pack things up in preparation for the upcoming move.  We have lived here 23 years so that is a lot of stuff to go through.