The Mission So Far

I wanted to send Josh some cookies before he left the MTC.

I was pretty happy with how the wheat turned out!

We got a surprise video call from Josh the day after we dropped him off!

Once more, I got  just a little bit teary seeing his face.

He seemed to be doing so well!

I believe this was the night he got into D.C. and called home.

Another surprise, but a very welcome one :)

I got into the habit of taking screenshots every time he called so that will be a thing I'll post every month I guess.

 

January Odds and Ends

Driving down to the MTC I had a little something in my throat that I couldn't get rid of.

By the time we were on our way home I had decided I was getting sick :(

I can't remember if it was the next day or two days later that I got a home COVID test and it was almost immediately positive.  Our whole immediate family had escaped the virus until now.  

 I had a sore throat, body aches and such...it mostly just felt like a bad cold.  On the third day I did lose my smell and taste.  That lasted for about 2 or 3 days before it started to come back.

 Ben was next...then Abby, Andy and Matt all followed suit.

I was most worried about Josh seeing that I had obviously been infected when we dropped him off.

James, Merill and Nancy and Josh all ended up being fine though which was a relief!

Josh's plaque showed up in the church not too long after he left...

And I kid you not, the day Josh flew out to his mission, this was in my crossword...

I have never seen that as an answer before but it was a sweet little moment for me that night as I snuggled in bed to do my nightly puzzle.

Dropping Josh Off

The night before we took Josh to the MTC...

packing up and checking our list twice

The morning of...

finishing off his Black Bear treat for a nourishing breakfast :)

On the way down...

someone is exhausted.

James and Merill and Nancy met us in Provo.  James suggested we eat brunch at True Religion.

It was really delicious!  We saw several other missionaries there with their families.

Then we drove to the temple to take some pictures.

It was a bit drizzly.

I love this picture of our family

At the temple and driving into the MTC campus, Josh saw a couple of faces he recognized from his district.

(What a blessing home MTC is!!!  He had such a nice transition from home to mission.  He already knew his district and so leaving him there was not as hard and worrisome as it might have been otherwise.)

We drove right up to the front door of the MTC.

I had been told that we were going to have to drop him off in an underground parking garage so I was pleased we were out in the daylight :)

Before Josh got out of the car he had a moment with Ben.  It was really hard for him to say goodbye to him...

I wasn't emotional until I gave my son a hug at the door.

Everyone had their turn...

And then it was time to say goodbye...

Driving away I got a little emotional as well but I was just so pleased with Josh!

So happy he made this choice to serve and that he was embarking on this new adventure in his life.

We had a hard time finding our way out of the MTC grounds...drove around the back and Andy took a trip down memory lane.  

What a day it was!...emotional but beautiful!

So thrilled for my Josh!

The First Few Days of '22

Just 6 months behind on my blog...that all :(

A couple of pictures of some cute sibs...

Matt was ordained a priest by Josh.

It was a really neat day!

I think this was just a picture of the last Sunday evening at Gpa and Gma's house before Josh left...

Dad took Elder Bryan to get a haircut and then they went to Black Bear Diner and had dinner and a treat.

Matt's hair was in rare form...