October 10

What a fun week this has been!  Two sets of visitors in two days!  Yesterday my sister Kim and her darling family came by the Mormon Battalion and visited.  We then went to lunch at one of the yummy restaurants here in Old Town.  Then today Bethany and Kevin brought our handsome, beautiful, darling grandkids with them to see us!  Roger got to make his famous crepes and then they took off to the zoo.  When they were good and tired of the zoo, they came and let us take them through the tour at the Battalion.  Then off to dinner together.  Tomorrow they will let us fix them crepes again and then we are going to play at the LaJolla Shores Beach!  ..........a little taste of October at the beach house - without the beach house of course!  Thanks for coming.  We feel not so far away from home now!

Saturday we had our neighbors the Robinson's over for breakfast before General Conference.  They are a wonderful missionary couple from Pleasant Grove and have been a their mission several months longer than we have.  We were able to watch the second session of conference at another couple's apartment and then had a spaghetti dinner with five other couples.  It was so nice to be with those wonderful people.  Most of them are serving at the military bases and are having such a great experience with lots of baptisms etc.  All of the girls went shopping while the men watched the Priesthood Session there at the apartment.

Sunday was a great day because we got to stay home all day!  We had a new couple, the Van Ormans who just arrived in the mission last week over for Sunday dinner.  Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheese rolls  etc.  It really was the first big meal that we have cooked since being here.  It was nice to have the time to cook a real meal - - and to eat it!  We really fooled them - they thought we did this ALL of the time.

The Senior Couples have a Family Home Evening every month and Monday was the night for it.  Unfortunately we had to work a shift at the MB.  Fortunately it was in the theatre rooms in the MB so we were able to still visit before and after with the couples.  There were over 20 couples there and we are starting to know them all and love them so much.

Tuesday was a tough day.  Training was at 8 am and then we were on shift from 9-5.  It went really quickly though.  It is Arizona's and Utah's fall break and we have tons of darling families coming in.  We would take a tour, come back to the lobby and there would be another tour waiting.  Just as we were ready to drag ourselves home at 5 the director at the Battalion asked us to go to a dinner with them.  It was at Cafe Coyote here in Old Town.  There is a man who is running for mayor that he is supporting.  He will be good for the tourism industry if he wins and Elder Seegmiller wanted us to go with them to the event.  There were many restaurant and shop owners in Old Town there and we were able to meet them and the mayoral candidate.  Interesting.  Three more hours until we were able to drag home.

Wednesday was amazing at the MB.  It was raining and cooler so all of the families from Arizona and Utah came instead of the beach.  It was crazy!  We then went off to visit many in the ward.  It is really sad to see the how the gospel has slipped out of people's lives and they hardly knew it was happening.  It is also heartwarming to see those who the gospel keeps blessing their lives.

Thursday was another good day.  More families during our 9-12 shift.  That's when my sister Kim and her family came.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Miguels.  The best cheese sauce for chips and I over did - but oh so good!  We then took off to help a blind couple get some things at the store.  She is such a sweet lady with a good baptist testimony.  She prays and loves the Lord.  It was good to help them and feel their appreciation.  We then took off for a session at our beautiful temple.

I am not sure it is legal to be having this much fun on a mission!  It is hard, fun, happy, sad, and so rewarding.  One of the lessons learned from our Mormon Battalion tour is that if we follow the Prophet with faith we will be blessed.  I know that is true and see it happening in our lives and in the lives of so many people we meet here.