A pocket full of memories

I think my parents were surprised at how much I brought home from my mission. But, hey — a person can accumulate a lot of stuff over two years!

 

The craft of the deal

I've found that projects I work on to relax seem to be less restful to others in our home. Is that true for you?
 

Back in your arms

We had a dog — a Great Pyrenees — who was just a little bitty puppy when my son left on his mission. When he got back, she weighed about 125 pounds. But she remembered that he used to carry her around in his arms. She kept trying to get him to carry her like she used to. Nearly killed them both!
 

Sketchbook; Welcome to my nightmare

Remember how stressful it was when you first thought about working from home? And how stressful it feels now when you think about going back to the office?

 

Your religion is showing

Watch — it won't be long before Deseret Book starts selling kits to do this at home!
 

Leftovers

What happens to all those old white shirts when a missionary goes home? Well, the ones they don't burn, anyway...
 

Sketchbook: Happy hunting

Some features are less desirable than others.
 

I hope I can remember my combination

Another argument for reopening schools!

Our district was supposed to start holding in-person classes for the lower elementary kids this week. But then we got hit with an ice storm last Thursday that took out power to a huge swath of the state. Here it is almost a week later and there are still a lot of houses without power, and classes have been canceled all week.

These past twelve months have been strange!

As with the voice of thunder

This picture looks suspiciously like me and my brother hightailing it for home — only it was usually my dad doing the hollering!
 

The right place, the right stuff

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: No matter where you've been, there's nothing better than coming home to your own kitchen, your own bedroom and your own bathroom.

It's the little things

The other day I was on Facebook and saw that one of my fellow ward members had posted an update.

"Hmm," I thought. "I haven't seen them in a while. I wonder why not?"

And then I remember that we haven't had meetings at the church for almost four months now and I haven't really seen ANYBODY.

Sigh.

Forced perspective

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. I certainly appreciate the teachers I know! Thank you!

Sketchbook: Church at home

How was your experience with having church at home? We had some great talks, followed by a good Sunday school lesson. It was almost like regular church — Grandma fell asleep during the lesson!

From whence no sock can ever return

It's the scariest place in our house, unless you count the garage. Or my son's room.

Sketchbook: Doing the work!

I can't be the only one who thinks this, right? The kitchen/dining table is the nerve center of the home. Ergo...

Or is it the wireless router?

Leaving on a jet plane

Leaving the mission field is one of the most bittersweet days a missionary will ever experience. There's the excitement of going back home to friends and family, but there's the sadness of leaving behind the people you've loved, worked with, lived with and prayed for — and you don't know when you might ever see them again.

But like many things we experience in life, it's a just another step.

One of the elders from my mission wrote a parody of Leaving on a Jet Plane* that summed up his feelings about the experience:

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go. 
I'm standing here beside the door.
I have to wake you up to say goodbye.
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn.
The taxi's not waiting, it's blowing its horn —
Already I'm so trunky I could die! 

So write to me and I'll pray for you,
But the girls are waiting at BYU;
When you come home I'll wear a wedding ring!
'Cause I'm trunky, that's my name son —
Going home to have a little fun.Oh, boy, I can't wait to go...

There's more, but that's as much as I remember.

We're saying goodbye to a great group of elders who are leaving our mission this week. They're fantastic! They will be missed...but a mission is only the beginning!

*This is a John Denver version, he wrote the song. It was popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Sketchbook: Speak your language

We were happy to make it back to the USA, where we understood everything. Maybe a little bit too much!

It took a few days to readjust. Still working on it, actually.

And that brings us to the end of the trip cartoons! We're back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. Thanks for the indulgence!

Sketchbook: Every week is Christmas

There's a lot of wisdom in the recent announcement that missionaries will be able to contact home on Preparation Days. And I'm not just saying that as a parent of a missionary! It will really help some of the missionaries make the transition from being at home to being in the mission field. It will also help families feel more a part of the work that the missionaries are doing.

I'm just glad that our missionary is in a close time zone rather than stationed on the other side of the planet. I love him and all, but do I love him enough for a weekly phone call at three o'clock in the morning?

I'm not falling for that one again!

We made a Saturday Chores mixtape that was full of energetic, upbeat songs to try to get the kids going in the morning. Now it's a mixtape of songs that the kids hate. Go figure!

Dust to dust

Yeah, Elder Lloyd's heading back home. We'll miss him.