February 29, 2016

Bob: This will have to be short and sweet tonight. We didn't get home from FHE till about 10:25 and 5:45 comes pretty quickly. Tomorrow is President Clayton's birthday so we had a small luncheon today for him. Just the office staff and Assistants were there. It was a Star Wars theme. He appreciated that I think.
Not much happening today in the financial or housing worlds. Did get all the credit cards resolved for the end of the month. I am only missing one transaction and it is with the BYU Bookstore so I am not going to worry about it. They just can't seem to send receipts. Unfortunately they have our credit card number and so the charges/credits just appear. I am giving up on trying to get backup copies from them. The auditor can just write a complaint and when Salt Lake calls I'll them that Utah is the problem.
Weather turned cold today and it is getting colder as the week goes along. Thankfully there shouldn't be much snow.
Found out today that we need to take a brand new Nissan Rogue up to the Elders in Val d'Or, Quebec. The members in Val-D'or now attend the Temiskaming Branch. Told the car czar I was going that way this weekend so we get to drive it up. Don't know what we'll be driving back, but hey it is the church's dime!!
Better get to bed. Bonnie sends her love to all as do I, and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

February 28, 2016

Bob: Good evening to every one. Sorry about last night, but I went to sleep and couldn't get up to write. But Bonnie hit all the highlights of the day for us.
Sunday has turned out to be an interesting day. Grace beat us to church and had to wait for us. Spencer was ready to go, but we just miscalculated how long it would take. But they both enjoyed the meetings. Brother Su, a YSA from China, also needed a ride this morning. He and Spencer started talking in the back seat and when we got to the church they both took off. Several of the guys gathered around Spencer and made him feel right at home. After Munch and Mingle the A/Ps came by and gave him the first discussion in our apartment.
Grace sat with us during Sacrament and enjoyed the meeting. She said that it was not anything like the meetings in the Catholic Church. I took her to Gospel Principles and Jacqueline taught a good lesson about us being covenant people of the Lord. Bonnie took Grace to Relief Society and Munch and Mingle. I ran over-time teaching the M/P Preparation Class after I told the guys to stop me at 3:00. They just let me go on. Anyway I joined Grace and Bonnie as well as the Ericksons for something to eat. It seemed to go really well and we have another appointment with her set for 3:30 on Thursday.
Sonu was there today and he said he has asked for both Tuesday and Friday off from his work so he can attend Institute. We will pick him up on Tuesday nights on the way to Institute in Mississauga.
After Grace left Munch and Mingle everyone was putting away chairs, etc. There was a young man that asked us something which we don't remember. We asked him if he was a member. Matt said he was and that he was just visiting Toronto for a couple of days. We found out that he is a pilot and is waiting to fly to his next assignment on Tuesday. Anyway, he is a returned missionary having served in Texas when both Hurricane Katrina and Rita blew through. He ended up coming home with us and then going to the 'Strengthening Marriage' Fireside tonight. Dr. Brad Miller gave a great presentation on some ways to help in this. Before he spoke, Gurpreet Dhillon, City Councillor, spoke to us about his belief in the family. It was quite interesting. He is Muslim.
Well, I had better finish up here and help Bonnie finish the happy birthday poster for President Clayton that we are making. I don't think it will win any prizes, but he will enjoy the effort. It has a Star Wars theme because that's one thing he loves.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  I believe that the Lord had His hand in what transpired this week-end. We were not meant to go to Temiskaming. He needed us here so that Grace and Spencer could have their first discussions. And we were able to  help out Matt, who has been through two divorces, attend the fireside on marriage. It was open to everyone, married or single. He is a sharp young man, very humble and willing to learn more about how to have a good marriage. We have had a wonderful week-end. I hope everyone has!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 27, 2016

Bonnie:  What a relaxing day for us both! We picked up the Youngberg's at the Mission Home about 10:00 and took them back to the office to help them with their phones. It was great talking to them. They went on a mission to Amon, Jordan before this one. It was so interesting to hear him tell about some of their experiences. They have a real love for the Muslim people. He said that they believe that Abraham was told not to sacrifice Isaac, but was told to sacrifice Ishmael. Of course, the Muslims come from the lineage of Ishmael. He said that there are many similarities between the Muslim beliefs and Mormon beliefs! He was very interested in having an Arabic Book of Mormon and a Persian or Farsi Book of Mormon. He even asked President Clayton about working with the Persian people. The President is thinking about it.
We did some errands and then went over to Budgett's house to watch an episode of  "The Murdoch Mysteries". We quite enjoyed it. We also talked about some of our YSAs and the problems they are having.
We will be taking two investigators to church tomorrow--Spencer and Grace! Spencer is the young man who lives across the hall from us. The  APs told us this morning at the office that he lost his phone,  so we knocked on the door and worked out the ride. We've written about Grace, of course. We will meet  her at church. I hope it goes well, because I have to "shepherd" kids in to see the Bishop during Sunday School, when Bob will take the two of them into the Gospel Principles class. Then, I will go with Grace to Relief Society and Spencer will go to Priesthood with Bob. It will be an interesting day that's, for sure! I hope they feel the spirit and want to know more. And, I  hope the food is good. May all of us have a spiritual feast tomorrow, where we feel the Spirit and allow it to direct what we do.
Love, Mom/Bonnie
PS: Bob went to sleep on the couch, and is too tired to write! He sends his love to all of you.

February 26, 2016

Bonnie:  It's been a super day. We left the office about 2:15 so we could do some errands, such as order a cake for Pres. Clayton's birthday, and then get home in time for Grace's first discussion with the Elders. She brought her King James version of the Bible and her Book of Mormon. It went very well, except that the Elders could not spend a lot of time with us. They had another appointment. Grace also had another appointment so we were done promptly at 4:30. Grace seemed quite interested in what we were telling her. She is going to church with us on Sunday, although I am not sure the YSAs are the best place for her first experience attending church--they are quite noisy before and after. She feels that she was led to the missionaries three years ago as she began to help Elder Caldwell find apartments for the missionaries. She has continued to do a super job getting apartments for us now. She really has a sweet spirit about her and she asked lots of questions during the discussion. It's so exciting. Then, tonight we went to the temple. I love the temple! And, we were the witness couple again. A perfect ending to a wonderful day.
Well, it's getting late and I don't want to stay up much later so I will let Bob finish. Sweet dreams everyone!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Yes it has been a great day. It was great to leave work so early. We had to stop at the storage facility to look for some lamps for one of the missionary apartments. Then we stopped and ordered a 'Star Wars' birthday cake for President Clayton. His birthday is Tuesday but we're celebrating on Monday with a luncheon and dessert!!!! (He is a real Star Wars fan.)
As Bonnie said the discussion with Grace went really well. She asks great questions and had more questions than the missionaries had time for. She told them to give her more time next week! They said they would pencil in a longer time period next week. We'll get to have it here on Wednesday, but we're headed for Temiskaming next weekend. We'll have the Jensen's meet with her that Sunday. They are the ones who gave her a Book of Mormon. I'm not worried about our trip next weekend as long as the roads are clear getting there. And I won't care about getting stuck up there anyway because there isn't an urgent need to get back the following Monday or Tuesday!
The temple was good tonight. Seemed like our session was shorter than normal, but I don't think anything was changed in ceremony! Maybe I was just more attentive or something.
Well got to get to bed. Tomorrow morning's routine will be interrupted because we have to take the new couple, the Youngberg's, to the office to set up their phone service. They are leaving afterwards for Smiths Falls which is almost 4 hours away.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

February 25, 2016

Bonnie:  It's been a learning day today because I have to update the "pocket card" from now on so the APs can do more missionary work. It's a laminated card that fits into a pocket that has all of the missionary information by zones including phone numbers and companionships. Of course, after transfers alot of it changes. It took me about 4 hours or so to do it. Then, after it's printed on card stock it's laminated and cut into sections. Then the sections are taped together with clear tape into a folding card that fits nicely into a shirt pocket. That will happen tomorrow because we are not going to Temiskaming. They expect a lot of snow on Sunday, and we may not get back until Monday night if we were to go. With MLC coming up this would put lots of burden on Sister Cannon and Sister Erickson to prepare for it. 

Today I was able to talk to the sister who wants a blessing and to the missionaries who will give it to her. And there were no phone calls from stranded missionaries like there was yesterday, thankfully. A Sister missed her second flight because her first flight ran into bad weather. She said she was ok and she had just to eaten something. She had also talked to her parents so she felt alright about things. I can't imagine how hard that would be, though.

Tomorrow we will be having a missionary discussion here with Grace and the missionaries!! We are so excited about it. Please pray with us that it goes well,

Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Boohoo, the weather didn't cooperate. Maybe we can go next week. But we're super excited to be able to go to the discussion with Grace and the Elders. We will keep you informed as to how that goes.

The weather is not real good right now. The wind is howling and the temperatures are below freezing without considering the wind chill. Roads are good now, but I am afraid Sunday will be bad up north. Not a whole lot of snow expected here, however.

Got almost everything done today. Even had the opportunity to go stand in line at the bank. Wish I could do that every day!! (Not) Took quite a while to deposit one American check into the Canadian account. Poor teller didn't know what to do. Probably the two employees that were in the lobby making over another customer's children might have been able to help, but they were just too busy.

Had a great experience with customer service for Rogers, our wireless carrier. Finally asked the guy to let me talk to someone else and he wanted to know why. Told him he didn't understand the problem. Then he wanted to know what he didn't understand. That's when the phone went dead in his hand!! Called back and got another guy that fixed us right up. When he asked if there was anything else he could do I suggested he give some of his team members some training. He said he was sure the issue would come up in their team meeting.

Well, got to go to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.

Dad/Bob

February 24, 2016

Bob: Transfers are finally over. Glad to get that done. Worked over tonight trying to get the bus passes and funding entries done, but the computer system shut down at 7:30 for maintenance. It looks like I may have to work over tomorrow night too so we can leave on Friday.
It's only 9:00, but I am not going to last long. Monday and Tuesday are just so long that come Wednesday I need to retire very early.
Weather turned terrible today. It snowed lightly and then turned to rain. Not much accumulation of snow but lots of slush everywhere. Hope tomorrow is better so Friday travelling will be possible.
I was standing out by Bonnie's desk today when her phone rang. She answered and it was a missionary on the line. I could hear her saying, "Now what was that? I can't understand you. Spell your name. Is that a 'B' or a 'V'? About that time she realized it was one of the Assistants "talking in tongues"! She said "You're in trouble now!" It was hilarious. She was intent on taking his message and struggling so hard to understand him. She'll have to come up with something to get even.
I am going to quit now and get ready for bed. Love to everyone and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: The APs are so funny and they do love to tease. I will have to think of something to get them back! It was a frustrating day because I couldn't figure out some things on the computer. I have three "projects" that I will need help with as part of my job in easing the burden on the APs so they can do more missionary work.
It was a very heavy and cold rain that fell today. Three of the Sister Missionaries came in to the office just drenched. They had to see Elder Erickson. And they had to go back out to their car to get something. We had them standing by the  heaters to get warm and a little bit dry, and also gave them some hot chocolate to drink. They had had a frustrating day, too, with cancellations, etc.
I received a call from an Area Seventy in Eastern Europe today. He has a friend who needs a blessing and wants the missionaries to do it. The problem is he does not have an address which means I have to call her. She has not answered the phone or called back. I don't know what else I can do. I will try again tomorrow morning.
Stay warm and dry, everyone! We love you!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 23, 2016

Bob: Last night Belinda showed up at FHE with a new hair color. Sunday she was blonde. Put her picture below. We pick her up most Sundays for church and Mondays for FHE.
Up early today with no chance to exercise. Have to be at the BSC (Brampton Stake Center) for a 7:30 presentation. No snow outside yet.
The day was pretty hectic as the missionaries just kept coming. Able to get most of the work done though. Have to go over the bus pass entries tomorrow, but I think I have everything covered.
Still predicting snow for tomorrow, but then not much on Thursday and nothing on Friday. Looks even better further north. Hoping our luck holds out.
Attended Institute tonight. Had another good turn out as 10 students were there. 2 of them are going on missions within the next couple of months. It is exciting to see baptisms and mission farewells occurring in our YSA Ward.
Just heard a loud boom outside. Don't see any lights out anywhere. Not sure what it was.
Well I have to get to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.

Belinda's new hair color on her birthday

Bonnie:  It was a hectic day. I actually think that big transfers like this one of 20 missionaries are crazier than MLC. At least at MLC I can be prepared ahead of time! Two Senior couples showed up at the office today as well. They were there to attend the temple session for the outgoing missionaries.

Don't know what happened to the rest of Bonnie's comments.

Bob and Mary Lou Athey on their 50th anniversary

Anyone know where this picture was taken?

February 22, 2016

Bob: First day of transfers is over. I had to make up a cd of the letters written to the Mission President by each of the 13 missionaries leaving on Wednesday. That took about 3 hours to do. We had a few leave today and 2 of them missed their plane as they were over 2 hours going through customs. Not sure how that ended up. The Assistants and Elder Budgett each drove a vehicle to the airport to pick up the 20 incoming missionaries. They left the Mission Office around 3:00. I heard Elder Budgett ask Elder Forsyth when he thought they would be back as he had some YSA to pick up for FHE. Elder Forsyth said 5:30. I had a feeling that probably wouldn't work out. We were at FHE and the Budgetts texted us at 7:54 that he had just gotten home!! I warned him not to get in a car with Elder Forsyth!!!! He got me twice with 'how about dropping us off over...' Won't fall for that again.
Bus passes look like they should be okay as I reviewed them today. One area I'm not sure about, but we'll fix that in the morning.
We have a winter storm warning for Wednesday and Thursday. That may put a kink in our plans for going north. Hope not.
Well it is 10:38 and the First Mate is ready for bed and doesn't have time to write. She sends her love. My love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

February 21, 2016

Bob: Had a really nice baptism this morning. A young man from Iraq, Martin is his first name, was baptized. His friend, Christoper Fernandez, was baptized two weeks ago. After he was baptized the two of them took a trip together to Utah. They wanted to see the sights in Salt Lake plus BYU. One of the Sisters that taught them, Sister Vance is from somewhere around Salt Lake so the boys went to church with her parents. I believe he is the Bishop of his Ward. Elder Budgett told me that they were excited about their trip that they didn't want to talk about anything else at Institute the other night. Anyway there was a sweet spirit at the baptism. That's the 4th baptism for the YSA this year. Another young lady was supposed to be baptized today also, but there was a death in her family.
Talk the class for prospective Elders today. Only had 1 show up. We have several that should have been there. Hopefully there will be a better turn out next week.
Got a call from Brad Sauve tonight. He has everything set up for ice fishing Saturday on Larder Lake. It is a about an hour and 15 minutes northeast of Elk Lake. You can see it on google maps. We are going up on Saturday. Ralph Granatier lives next to the lake and he says they are catching a lot of trout right now. Doesn't look like we are going to get a walleye dinner, but it should be good. We are stopping in North Cobalt on Friday evening to have dinner with Jack, Trudy, Brad and his daughters. It will be fun to see everyone again. I don't think we have been to Temiskaming since October. I miss the Branch and the members.
Time to call it a day. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Rob, Martin, Christopher

February 21, 2016

Sister Johnson, Sister Vance, Christopher, Rob

February 7, 2016

Bonnie:  It has been a wonderful Sabbath for us. One neat thing was that President and Sister Clayton were able to attend the baptism this morning. They cannot attend every baptism. We had a great Sacrament Meeting also. It wasn't too bad today getting all of the YSAs in to see the Bishop, either. We  had stroganoff over rice for Munch and Mingle. We just got home from our monthly FHE and it was very good. After watching Michael Wilcox discuss some of the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi, we went around the room and everyone shared something from the Book of Mormon that gave them an "Ah-hah" moment. I loved it. And, of course, there were goodies to eat after that.

So, tomorrow begins Transfers--Monday through Wednesday, full of wonderful things!! We are getting 22 new missionaries, I think. This will affect 2/3 of the mission. The new missionaries will be picked up tomorrow and the sisters will stay at a hotel (because there are more of them than the Elders coming in) and the Elders will spend the night at the Clayton's. Then, Tuesday is the training early in the morning at the Stake Center for the new missionaries,  followed by some "going-home" counseling for those missionaries going home as well as a farewell temple session in the afternoon. They will leave on Wednesday. It will be a busy day in the office on Tuesday for sure, as the new twosomes come in to pick up supplies.

How I love the gospel of Jesus Christ! I love watching the gospel as it is being carried all over the world. I love the experiences that we are having as we serve here. And I love all of you who are so supportive of what we are doing. Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.

Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 20, 2016

Bob: What a beautiful day we have had. The temperature nearly got up to the mid-fifties. Won't last long, but what a breath of spring air we have had. It was a slow starting day as most Saturdays are. But I finally got moving and did a 3 mile walk on the treadmill. I think I got out of the shower and dressed around 11:30! The retirement life. Wish it could have started sooner.
Bonnie went to a Relief Society function from 1 to 3 with Sisters Erickson and Budgett. Elder Budgett and I finished putting together the kitchen cart/table Bonnie got at IKEA then we went to Wendys for our lunch. I think we got back about 2:30 so I thought it appropriate that I take a nap. To think of all the years that have gone by and I thought I had to be doing something. Sure have missed out on a lot of naps!
This evening the Budgetts and us went to Caffe Demetre across the street. They have some delicious desserts. Bonnie and I split 'The Fork Awakens'. It was a Belgium waffle with salted butter pecan ice cream, honey roasted pecans, Belgian mile chocolate sauce, butter caramel sauce and extra whipped cream. Yummy!!
Better get to bed now. Love to all. Hope you have had a wonderful day. We will be getting up early and leaving just before 9 for a 10 am baptism. Good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  It has been a wonderful day. The Relief Society activity was excellent. We heard from the Stake President's wife, the Temple Matron and Sister Clayton, our mission president's wife. Each sister had a unique perspective about women and the priesthood. Dear women, we have the potential to have everything our Heavenly Father has to give to us, no different than the men. How He loves us! I just wish more YSAs were able to attend this activity.
It's late and, as Bob wrote, we have another baptism to attend tomorrow, which requires that we get an earlier start. May all of us have a wonderful, spiritually-uplifting Sabbath Day tomorrow.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 19, 2016

Bob:  It certainly has been an interesting day. The first thing this morning I went to the Brampton Tire Discounter and purchased 4 Michelin Premium A/S tires for the car. That was an even $900 CAD. That would be 6xx in USD which is probably not too bad. I read about them on a rating list by Tire Rack, a US company. They gave them excellent marks. We'll see how it goes.
Next I had to get the bills paid and call about a couple of problems. While I was doing that the President called and wanted me to listen to a conference call about some tax law changes for Ontario and how it affects the coding of some of  our financial transactions.
We were able to leave the office about 4:30 to go look at an apartment in a building where we might put some of the Senior Missionaries later this year. It is a fairly new building and the apartment was nice, but small. I would bet our apartment is twice as big as the one we looked at. The bedroom would only accommodate a queen size bed with a small double dresser. You could also put in a chest of drawers but it couldn't be very wide.
After that we went to dinner with Grace, the realtor we use. She is a very interesting person and very spiritual. She was given a Book of Mormon earlier by Elder and Sister Jensen. She said she would be interested in learning more about our church, so we'll have the missionaries in Mississauga handle that assignment. She is too old for YSA as she said she is almost 40. We will see how this develops.
After dinner we went to Walmart to do the shopping and then stopped to have the car washed before getting home around 9. We haven't been home early any night this week according to Bonnie.
I'm going to get ready for bed while Bonnie finishes up. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: It has been another long night, but very rewarding  because of our dinner with Grace. I've never met such a spiritual person who is not already a member of the church. She was raised Catholic but can see some definite inconsistencies with the Catholic Church and the teachings of the Savior. She is ready to see the missionaries. It's exciting to be part of this. We had a really good conversation where she asked about healings and the nature of speaking in tongues. She feels strongly that the second coming could be soon and wants to be prepared to see Jesus Christ again. Wow!
At the office I did a Staples order and another Distribution Store order trying to be prepared for Transfers and then MLC. It was a good day.
Tomorrow is a Ward Relief Society meeting, a pot luck dinner with some wonderful speakers--the Stake President's wife, the Temple President's wife and Sister Clayton, our Mission President's wife. The subject is "Women and the Priesthood". Three of us are going together. It should be great! I'll tell about it in tomorrow's blog.
Well, the wind is howling around our building and it's getting late, so sweet dreams, everyone, I'm going to bed!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Take a look at the picture of the heart attack the sister missionaries gave us on Valentines:

February 18, 2016

Bob: Had another good day at the office. Got a lot of things done and off my desk. Transfers are coming up Monday and Tuesday. Working with the Assistants to figure out where we need to put extra beds, where we can take beds from, which companionships will need extra bus passes, and who will become new leaders. Hopefully we can accomplish all these things tomorrow.
Don't know if I posted the pictures below or not. Sorry if I am repeating them. These are pictures taken of Reader, WV, the town I grew up in. The photographer, Bryan Lemasters, took them several years ago. He said the winter scene was taken on Christmas Eve, several years ago. They were both taken before the Shortline Elementary School was built.
Well I had better get to bed. Bonnie will her comments too. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Reader in Autumn

Reader in Winter

Bonnie:  Aren't the pictures above beautiful? It will be fun to decide where we will hang them when we get home.
Today went well, although I hope we have enough supplies left for transfers on Tuesday. I may order some things tomorrow, even though they won't get here for about a week and a half at least. By then it will be MLC, though, and I will most likely need them!
It was fun visiting with all of the missionaries today. President Clayton has all of the newest missionaries, who have been here their first six weeks, do a session in the temple (with their companions, of course.) The day starts with a two-hour meeting with the APs and the Clayton's, then lunch at the mission home, then the temple session. Afterwards, they come to the mission office, most of them anyway, to get supplies. We could see the maturing that has already occurred. It's a miracle! So, it was busy answering questions, ordering name-tags, picking up boxes of Books of Mormon and other supplies, dropping off medical receipts, picking up packages and mail, and a myriad of other things. We loved it! It's energizing to be with them.
Tomorrow night we have an appointment with Grace, our super-talented sister who gets us apartments. We will be taking her out to dinner afterwards, and hopefully talk to her about the Book of Mormon. She was given one by the Jensen's a while ago. She already has faith in Jesus Christ. I hope it works out. Going out to eat on a Friday night is somewhat of a crazy proposition. Bob called tonight to make reservations at Red Lobster, and they said they don't take reservations on the week-ends! I'm sure there will be a wait. We'll let you know tomorrow night.
My love to all,
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 17, 2016

Bob: Another routine day most of the time. We are scrambling to try and get an apartment for a set of Cantonese missionaries by next Thursday. Found one today and our realtor is turning in an offer, but I am skeptical that the landlord will take it. He is expecting too much in my opinion and I struck several things out of the agreement. Realtor said that she would make it work though. We shall see.
Discovered another problem last night I will deal with tomorrow. In January I bought a pair of waterproof boots from one of the biggest retailers in Canada. Well last night just walking across a wet parking lot both of my feet got wet. So I stopped in tonight and told them I wanted to return the boots. Of course they asked if I had a receipt, which I do. So they told me to bring the boots and receipt back in tomorrow for an exchange. We will see how that goes as I don't think they will have any in my size. When I bought them they did not have many left. This may be another adventure.
I found out late yesterday that I can sign to have all the Vertica lease agreements terminated except one. Seems that one couple in 2011 struck out on their own and signed a lease. So Vertica is requiring their signatures to terminate the lease. Tried to get their information from Salt Lake, but that will take time and signatures on forms, etc. Called the CES Director on the area and he remembers them. Said he had their emails so he would send them our phone and address so they could contact me. So it looks like I can get the leases terminated. My plan is to terminate them when the present occupant leaves. Vertica thinks I am going to terminate all of them at the end of April. Not going to do that. We'll see how this all comes out later this spring.
Well it's time for bed. Hope everyone is doing well. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Storage shed now

Storage shed before

Bonnie: Today has been interesting in one respect. We had a visiting teaching appointment scheduled for tonight at 5:30, about 35-40 minutes away from the office. About 5:10 I called my partner and she said she lost track of the time and would be late. She picked me up about 5:30. On the way, we ran into bad traffic. I called our YSA sister that we had the appointment with. She said she had moved! I vaguely remember her telling me that.  We got her new address and were going to still visit, when she said she needed to walk her dog and go see her mother who is in the hospital. So, we decided to skip our visit tonight. We turned around and drove back to my apartment, this time on the city streets and not on the freeway where the traffic was still bad. I got  home about 7:00 to an empty apartment. Bob was doing some shopping and wasn't home yet. What an adventure!
The first thing this morning I had a phone call from a pastor who works at a Correctional Facility in Lindsay, Ontario. He requested 6 Books of Mormon and wanted a local contact. I called the local Branch President and he will take care of it. How exciting! He sounds like a very kind man. Then, Elder Cannon put up two of the shelves out of three today. It really makes a difference in how the room looks. The hard part is agreeing on what to put where. He and I have differing opinions about it! I'm sure it will all work out, though. Other than that, it was a peaceful day.
I hope that all of our readers have also had a peaceful day today!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 16, 2016

Bob: Had to deal with a little bit of snow today. Our 20 minute drive to work took us about 40 minutes today. Then in the morning the snow continued to come down lightly. When we left the office to go to Institute, however, the main roads were clear.
Got the rents paid and sent out today. We had almost $125,000 in rents for the Mission this month. I believe the amount of rent has come up almost 10,000 per month since I got here. It should start downward though in 3 or 4 months as we close some apartments due to the reduction in the number of missionaries.
Institute was very good tonight. Elder Budgett at one time asked us to split into 3 groups and discuss among our individual groups how we see the Lord directing our lives now or how He did at one time in our life. Very interesting to hear what some of the YSAs, and Sister Martin had to say.
Spent some time emptying things out of my office and taking them to the storage unit today. I have some pictures of the 'empty' unit that I'll post tomorrow night. Forgot the camera and left it at the office. It is hard to believe how much stuff we have used and gotten rid of.
Well time for bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  This will be short. I really enjoyed Institute tonight. We knew everyone in our group when we divided up, and it was great to hear the YSAs talk about how the Lord has directed them in the past. One is a new member of about 2 months, two were brother and sister, and one was a returned missionary. The Lord is truly in the details of our lives.
Tomorrow I will be going visiting teaching and leaving the office about 5:00, driving at least half an hour, doing our visiting and returning home, if we're lucky, by about 7:00. I have the most interesting companion. It will be enjoyable for sure.
I  hope you all have had a wonderful day, accomplishing much by doing the little things that make such a difference in the lives of our families and friends.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 15, 2016

Bob: Got home just before 10 from FHE. Had Sean and Belinda as passengers. Jessica Gavito gave a great lesson tonight on the power of the atonement using Bruce R. McConkie's last General Conference address as her main source. She did a really great job. And after her lesson Roni Assaud played the last 2 or 3 minutes of the talk so the YSA could see and feel his emotion in giving the talk. I will always believe that this talk is one of the landmark talks ever given in Conference.
We met with the Clayton's today and had business as usual. About 3:00 one the A/Ps came into my office stating that they needed another apartment in the Markham area and they need it for next Thursday. Called the realtor and asked her to find a few listings and send them to the Z/Ls and then set some viewings. We'll see how it goes.
Paid the rent today. We are paying for 128 apartments now. Hard to believe we need another one but this will give us apartments for 2 sets of Cantonese missionaries.
Well I have to go to bed. Hope everyone has had a great day. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  It was a blast watching the YSAa play floor hockey. There are some really good players!  Bob treated us all to a Wendy's frosty on the way home, too.
Today at the office was kind of frustrating because it was a  holiday in Canada as well as the US so I couldn't call Salt Lake City about questions I have. I also needed to call FED EX about a bill we received from them. I have no idea what package it is for. So, that call will happen tomorrow, too. And first and foremost I need to do an order online in preparation for Transfers next Wednesday. I would have done it today but I couldn't find a pamphlet that President Clayton wants me to order. It means another call to Salt Lake City. At least I got 7 baptism packets ready to go, with Sister Cannon's help. She also did the name tags for me. So, a few things were accomplished.
I hope everyone enjoyed their President's Day holiday today in the States. I am saddened to learn of Justice Scalia's death. May there be wisdom in whomever is chosen to replace him!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 14, 2016

Bonnie:  Happy Valentines Day, everyone! It's been a great day for us, especially because we have talked to many of our kids tonight. Everyone seems to be doing well or getting better anyway. I woke up to a lovely box of chocolates this morning and a beautiful card. That's a nice way to begin any day, but especially Valentines Day.
The  Bishop was very busy again today with appointments. There are always some last minute additions and changes. We  had a talk in Sacrament meeting by a young sister who will be  leaving for her mission soon. And there was also a talk by a member of a little more than 12 months. I loved what she shared about faith-- a simple story from her own life about saying a prayer with faith. She and her mother were shoveling some heavy snow for a neighbor, and they needed some help. She said a simple, faith-filled prayer, and knew the Lord would send someone. About a minute later, a stranger came up and took the shovel from her hands and said he would shovel the snow. He shoveled the whole driveway for them. She knew the Lord would answer her prayer, and He did.
I think that I need to have more of that kind of faith!
I  hope everyone has had a wonderful day today, with lots of Valentines!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Been a restful afternoon. We didn't get home from church until just past 5. Had 3 YSAs to drop off and one lives almost out by our office.
Church was good today. The Elder's Quorum Presidency has asked me to fill in occasionally for the teacher of the Melchizedek Priesthood preparatory class. I am willing to do that, but I really have second thoughts about the material they are using. They are using a paper written several years by a local member. It is good background, but I think we are trying to reinvent the wheel here. I have real concerns about this being church approved. Wanted to talk to the Bishop about this, but he was so busy we left thinking I could see at FHE tomorrow night. Then when we got home he texted Bonnie to cancel his appointments for tomorrow night because he won't be there. So I have to figure out something because they want me to take the class next week.
Another cold day in Brampton, but not as bad as  yesterday. Supposed to get better this week.
Talked to President Jakob in Temiskaming a little while ago. We are planning on going ice fishing the last Saturday of this month. He told me to see if I could borrow a pair of snowshoes and bring them with me!! This is sounding more like an adventure I might NOT want to experience.
Got to go to bed. Love to all. Good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

February 13, 2016

Bob: Today was our coldest day yet, but we were able to survive. We went across the street so I could get a haircut, but had to schedule it for 2 1/2 hours later. So we decided to check out comforter sets at Sears and a couple other places. First Mate decided she didn't like the one we bought last night so we are taking it back. Found one at Sears we both agreed on, but she wanted to take the other one back to Walmart and look there first. She found the black and white one she wanted at Walmart however. So it all ended up well.
Went to the Budgett's tonight and spent the evening with 5 other couples. It was a fun evening except those of us from the office are a little jealous of the temple couples. They just had 2 weeks off from their assignments. Of the 2 couples there tonight one of them went to Disney World in Orlando and the other couple went to Houston to visit some relatives. I know that one other couple went to Boston and points east. We don't get such luxuries working in the office.
Getting ready for bed now although I had a nice nap earlier and I am not too tired at the moment.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  I layered up for our trip outside today and I was fine! I talked to Elders from Val D'Or, north of us in Quebec. They said it was -45' Celsius there. They also said they were staying warm, and that they had permission to stay inside when it was below -40'. I'm glad about that!
I really like the comforter set we  have on our king-sized bed. I want to get two king-sized pillows, however. I don't want to pay very much for them so we will try Walmart and the Dollar Store next time we are out shopping. I will put them in the shams and we will continue to use our pillows from home to sleep with.
We  had an enjoyable time with the Budgett's and other Senior Couples tonight. We found out who were the best liars in the group (!) as we played a game where we had an odd word that we were to define. Only one of three people had the correct definition, and we had to guess who it was. I'm not very good at it, but it was fun. I made Red Lobster biscuits for it and there were lots of other yummy things to eat.
It looks like tomorrow will be a good Sabbath. We are taking only one YSA so far. We have offered a ride for Spencer tomorrow but he has not responded back to us. I will be making mashed potatoes for Munch and Mingle. It will be added to the fixings for Shepherd's Pie. When it's the  Bishop's wife's month for choosing the menu, it is always good!
May everyone have a very Happy Valentines Day tomorrow. All of us can use some extra love! Let's share our love with someone who really needs it, but especially our spouses and family!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 12, 2016

Bob: It has been a wonderful day. The weather has been cold and the wind has been blowing. I sit here now listening to it howl outside and the temperature reading 14. It is headed to a -7 tonight with a high of 10 tomorrow and 13 on Sunday. Then we go back to the 30s except for a couple days over the next 10 days. We should get some snow too but it is supposed to be mostly showers.
The first thing I did this morning was pick up the Brampton North elders and took them to the Rosedale storage unit. The Brampton Zone Leaders met us there and we emptied out that unit. Took several tables and some miscellaneous items to the Salvation Army. Then we took 2 very big and heavy desks to the dump. The remaining items from the unit we moved to the Hurontario storage unit. So after combining the two units there is still all kinds of room within the unit. I'm going to take a picture of it and post it with the picture of the unit when it was full. There is quite a difference. Basically all we have stored is some book shelves, 3 desks and 3 sets of twin bunk beds. There are some other items but that is mainly it. Got rid of all end tables, coffee tables and all upholstered items. I think we'll begin reducing the number of missionaries in the coming months which means we'll have to store some items or give it away. I am keeping only the basic items per the approved furniture list. The missionaries might drag in used items from other sources even though they are not supposed to, but I won't be storing them when we move out of that apartment. It will go to Goodwill or the dump.
Did a preliminary run through of the rent payments for this month and that went pretty well. Going to double check it Monday and see if I can spot any mistakes. Don't want to be paying for an apartment that we are closing. Did that once already, but the landlord returned the checks (there were 2 apartments belonging to the same landlord).
Bonnie's sister, JoAnne, posted a video on FB of memorable Church General Conference events. It really brings back a lot of memories and touches the heart.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  I really wasn't cold tonight as we did the shopping. Of course, I had on all of my layers and thermal underwear. We bought a King-sized comforter tonight with shams and a bed skirt at Walmart. I'm not sure I like it. The colors are grey and purple. It will take some getting-used-to if we keep it. Bob wants to get out of the apartment tomorrow, but I'm not sure I want to do that. The roads were icy as we were coming home from Walmart and they will probably be worse tomorrow because of the dropping temperatures.
What was amazing was that we left just before 5:00 from the office!! I did most of the shopping before we got home, all except for the Walmart trip. I really like leaving by 5 and having a relaxing evening. I hope all of you are safe and warm and relaxing tonight, too.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 11, 2016

Bob: One of my favorite cowboy songs. Heard it years ago at Heber City Cowboy Poetry festival:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1051L62nls0&list=PLqgpSzWudsY1FSNs5Iw1RGRbox9Plx6GM

(Red Steagall, "Born to Be a Cowboy") - Hope you like it.

Don't know what happened last night, but I must have hit the save button instead of the publish button. Thus you are getting 2 posts tonight.
Spent most of today helping the Backus' get moved. It was a hassle getting permission to use the elevator. Had to write a check for $200 in case we damaged the elevator. Finally got the go ahead and with the young missionaries we were able to get everything moved. Had to take the missionaries to an appointment at 5:00 so we couldn't stay and help them get everything put together. We got their bed set up though.
Today was our coldest day yet in Canada. When the wind blows it is down right cold. If we had a lot of snow right now it would be miserable. Thankfully we didn't get much of the white stuff today.
Going to let Bonnie finish up. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: I went with Bob to help the Backus' move in. Everything went well, all things considered. The only thing that didn't get done was dry cleaning the comforter for their queen-sized bed. Tomorrow night we'll look for a king-sized comforter, bedskirt and shams for our bed. I hope I can find what I want for not too much money.
I guess one of my orders came in while I was with Bob today. That's great! Transfers are less than two weeks away. Supplies go fast that day. I need to be prepared. Tomorrow the  APs will be trying to teach me how to handle the Baptismal Lists. This is something I need to do from now on, I guess, to give them time to do the missionary work they love so much. I'm glad to do it. I just hope I can learn what they want quickly.
It looks like our coldest day yet will be this Saturday. I'm glad we will be spending that evening with the other Senior Couples here on  Silver Maple Court! May all of you be warm and safe tonight!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 10, 2016

Bob: An interesting day at the office. For one thing I was looking at the Mission's financial statement for January and saw that we had spent over 55% of our annual budget for missionary travel the first month. Thought something might be wrong with that. Looked at the last couple of month's expenditures and January looked normal. Then I looked at the budget and saw that it had been cut by over $100,000. Called Salt Lake and asked about that. They took a look and said 'Oops, we left a 1 off the front of the number'. They are going to correct that.
Went to get the king size bed out of storage and put it in our apartment and move the queen size bed out of apartment to the Backus' apartment. So we got the king size set up in our apartment, but couldn't get the key to Backus' place. The listing agent finally called tonight very apologetic about forgetting, etc. So he bought the key over to Grace tonight. I told Grace to get us 2 days refund on the month of February because we couldn't get in. We'll see how that goes.
Had some missionaries call me and say they had received an eviction notice and that they had to either pay a bill or be out by Feb 16. I think the problem is there was a rent increase last September that was never recorded. The most current paperwork I have for that apartment is a rent increase Sept 1, 2014. Missionaries said they faxed me something about it in December, but I never got it. Of course they didn't follow up either and they don't have it any longer. Left a message on the property manager's phone.
It is getting colder. Today's high was only 29. It's only 16 right now with a low of 7 forecast for tonight. High for tomorrow is supposed to be 18 with snow showers. Further north of us had snow squall warnings for tonight. Oh well, we'll just have to sleep close together in our new king size bed.
Hope everyone had a wonderful day. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: I'm not sure I can even find Bob in a king-sized bed! For our early night tonight we got home about 7:00 pm. We had to stop at Costco and also get gas. Then, because I was in a hurry to eat, I burned the soup! It didn't taste too bad, but I've learned a lesson about how to reheat homemade soup! I also found two sets of queen-sized sheets for the Backus', plus they can have our comforter, shams and bed skirt, and maybe two decorative pillows. Bob thought the comforter would work on the king'sized bed, but it looks pitifully small on it. It's supposed to be dry-cleaned so we'll do that tomorrow.
We had two very sad phone-calls today from the father of one of our sister missionaries, and the mother of another one. They are good friends with another sister missionary who was serving in one of the Pennsylvania missions. A bus did not stop at a stop-sign and rammed into the back of the car carrying four sister missionaries. The driver, our missionaries' friend, was killed instantly. They were on the cheering squad at their high school together. President Clayton will talk to them--actually, I'm sure he has talked to both of them by now. How those families need the Lord's blessings! I'm sure that's one of the hardest things a mission president has to do.
On that somber note, I will close. May we feel our Savior's love tonight and always!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 9, 2016

Bob: Hope everyone has had a great day. Our day has been misty at times, but mainly just on the cool side. Snow is supposed to arrive tomorrow and Thursday. We'll see. Washed the car on the way home. That will usually bring the precipitation.
Not much going on at the office. Had our weekly meeting with President and Sister Clayton. The APs took the truck and trailer to Salvation Army and got rid of all the furniture we don't need. Thankful for that.
Went to Institute tonight. Started with only 2 students, but 5 more showed up. Good class on Samuel the Lamanite and Nephi.
Cutting this short as I want to get to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  Another long day, but it ended on a good note because of Institute. It's been a real pleasure to attend that class. We had 7 students there, with 4 other regulars having to be away because of work or being out of town. The students make good comments and the Budgett's always have candy as well as some other treat afterwards. It makes for a great evening.
Today Elder Cannon bought three sets of shelves for the supply room. The Mission will pay him back, of course. What a difference that should make in that room. Other than that, I worked on the History that I will be sending to Salt Lake for the year 2015. We need to add some information to it before it is sent. I  hope to have it finished tomorrow.
I  hope everyone has had a wonderful day today. My love to all.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 8, 2016

Bonnie:  It's about 10:15 pm and Bob is not home yet. After the FHE activity we took 3 YSAs home, pulled into our parking space and then Bob realized he left his Franklin at church. He found a key to the Brampton Stake Center that he is using to get back in to look for it.  I hope he will be getting back soon.
We went to our  monthly dinner at the Ludlow's tonight. We celebrated the Chinese New Year as well as Valentines Day. She had cute decorations and treats for us. Then, in FHE we played "Werewolf" tonight. It was fun, especially because I was one of the five werewolfs! Our lesson was on dating which is important for the YSAs, of course. I'm so glad I'm not part of that scene anymore. The guys don't seem to want to ask the gals on dates. But, something important was said--that the girls now-days can ask out the boys, without feeling bad about it. Things have really changed! Anyway, it was a fun evening.
Things went well at the office today, except that a missionary has taken the last Amheric Book of Mormon. I have 4 on order, though, and received the shipping confirmation that it has been shipped. I hope it gets here within two weeks, in time for the Sisters to teach the person we met yesterday at church.
Well, Bob just got back so I will let him add his comments. I'm going to bed! Sweet dreams, everyone!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: The church was still unlocked when I went back as there were several people playing basketball. Didn't recognize any of them though. Found my Franklin under the chair where I first sat down this evening. It has a lot of valuable information that I wouldn't want others to have.
Got the apartment for the Backus', but they can't move in till at least Thursday. We don't have any furniture for them anyway. They plan on heading to IKEA for sure.
Well I'm going to turn in. Hope everyone had a great day. Weather is still holding out, but I believe some snow is heading our way. We'll see how bad it gets. Got some flurries tonight.
Bonnie was pretty slick at being a werewolf tonight. She was the last werewolf taken out although there is some luck involved. We killed a werewolf on our first lynching.
Love to all and good night brothers.

February 7, 2016

Bonnie:  We've had a wonderful Sabbath, beginning with the baptism of a great young man who has been studying the church for about 8 months. He'll be a wonderful addition to the ward. Sacrament meeting was awesome, as usual. The testimonies were powerful. We ran out of time again. Then afterwards as I was shepherding YSAs in to see the Bishop, I began talking to two women sitting in the foyer. It was hard to understand them but I found out that one, a member who is from Kenya, befriended the other woman on the bus. She, who is from Ethiopia, wants to know more about the church. She cannot read English so tomorrow I will get all of the Amheric materials off the shelves for the missionaries to teach her. I know we have a Book of Mormon in Amheric, which is the language in  Ethiopia. The Sisters need to teach her because she lives in a very restrictive place. The problem is that she is out of the Ward boundaries. The APs will have to figure out what we should do. The woman from Kenya is actually a "mid-single" and  her friend is not, which also complicates things. But, we'll be able to do something, I'm sure. I also met a young man from Laos today who will be seeing the Bishop next Sunday. We got home later than usual because we took Brother Su home today. He was one of the witnesses at the baptism. He is from China. I love interacting with members from all over the world.
Our discussion for tonight fell through unfortunately. Apparently he still  wants to talk to the Elders so that is the important thing. Tomorrow should be the beginning of a good week. Hopefully, it is the same for all of you reading our blog!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

PS I plan on calling all of my kids to wish them a Happy Valentines Day next Sunday. This time, they will have to be short conversations but that's ok with me this once!

Bob: It has been a good day. The baptism was great. My talk on the Holy Ghost went well. Sunday School class was short as everyone introduced themselves again. Priesthood got started late but went okay. We read lesson 48 from the Brigham Young priesthood manual. Then we broke into 4 groups and answered the questions in the end of the chapter. Munch 'n Mingle went okay although mac and cheese is not my favorite. I skipped that and then came home and raided the kitchen.
Looks like the Broncos pulled it off in the Super Bowl. Good for them. I didn't get to watch it, but I'll bet their defense played a great game. Wonder if Cam is still smiling????
I think we got the apartment for the Backus'. Problem now will be getting them some furniture real soon. Bonnie and I are going to give them our queen bed and take the king bed we were saving for them. The problem is scheduling the elevator to move the beds. I don't have a trailer to move anything right now as it is full of furniture. I will decide first thing in the morning what to do with those items.
Better get to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

February 6, 2016

Bob: Relaxing Saturday even though we were out looking for an apartment for the Backus'. Found one that we have put an offer on. The offer is good till 7 pm tomorrow. We'll see how they respond.
After apartment hunting we went to lunch right across the street at 'The Pickle Barrel'. It should not be confused with the 'Cracker Barrel'. We looked it up on the internet and it said 'Great food, slow service'. They got it 100% correct. Took forever for our order to come, but it was good. Besides the Backus' and us, the Ericksons joined us.
After lunch Bonnie and I went with the Backus' to help them move into the apartment they will be staying in for a few days. It is nice enough, but the stairs going down to it are narrow and steep. I told him we would get the Elders to help carry everything up and out when they move. He agreed that it would be a good idea. Then they went to the grocery store to buy a few things to tide them over.
We have to go to church early tomorrow as there is a baptism at 10 am. I get to give the talk on the Holy Ghost. Why is it that when we get these opportunities we can never use the same talk we used previously? We feel a need to say something different. Anyway, I think I'm satisfied with what I have written down. We'll see how it goes.
Hope everyone enjoys the Super Bowl tomorrow. I will be surprised if it is close. Carolina looks too good to me.
Love to all, and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: It has been a good day, except for the cold, cold wind that enveloped us as we walked from apartment to apartment. There were two in buildings very close together. I enjoyed it, though. It will be great to have the Backus' with us at some of our activities. Being from Arizona I think they  need some good winter coats to get them through. The Church suggests that missionaries wait till they arrive here to get coats.
As Bob has written, it will be an early day tomorrow. One of the YSAs we are picking up lives quite far away. We will be on the road by 9:00 am which is not our usual time on a Sunday morning! I'm glad we can support the baptisms as they happen. These YSAs seem to have very strong testimonies despite difficult obstacles. I'm sure it will be an inspiring testimony meeting tomorrow. May we all enjoy our Sabbath Day, as we bear testimony of our Savior in word and deed!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 5, 2016

Bob: Nothing much happening at work today. The Backus' came in this afternoon. Taking them with us tomorrow as we have appointments to look at 4 different apartments for them. Right now they are staying with the Clayton's in the Mission Home.
Got most things done at the office except the bank deposit. Forgot about it until it was too late. Takes a little bit of time to get it ready to take to the bank and I didn't remember it till we were ready to leave.
We stopped at the post office and went to Costco to get Bonnie's prescription before going home. She mentioned on the way there that she probably should have called to see if it was ready. She was right. The prescription was never called in!!
Then we went home and grabbed a bite to eat. Then it was back out and on to Wally World for groceries. Made a stop at Home Depot to get some bolts for the bed and dowel rods to hold up the huge flower we got for Christmas. And on the way home the car unexpectedly turned into Wendy's for frosties. Finally got home at about 9:50.
I'm tired and going to bed. Don't call early in the morning because I'm not setting an alarm. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  What a nice peaceful day. There was  no rush to get anything done. Did I mention that the media bibles have been delivered?  It would have been nice if they were here one day earlier for MLC, but I'm still very happy about it. The room where we keep the extra Books of Mormon, the media bibles and the English pamphlets looks the best that I've ever seen it. I even vacuumed there today. All of the Chinese pamphlets, both Simplified and Traditional, are in a hall closet. Extra pamphlets in other languages are in the cupboards in the "big" room, where the APs, the Erickson's and Sister Pambrun work. I may move all of the Spanish pamphlets there, too. That will really help the storage area to look lots better. It just takes time and muscle. And poor Elder Cannon's muscles are probably very tired by now! We may also get shelves for the car stuff in room 120. It would probably be good to get it off of the carpet in that classroom.  We'll see as time goes on.
The bed looks so much better since Bob worked on it last night. The rope holding it together is no longer needed. It's great having a handy husband!
Tomorrow I only need to do a little cleaning and make some soup before we go with the Backus' looking for an apartment. We plan to go to lunch/dinner, too. It will be fun. I hope all of you reading this blog will also have some fun tomorrow!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 4,2016

Bob: Not real busy today, but accomplished quite a few things. The new couple is due in tomorrow and we don't have an apartment for them yet. My realtor had to go to the hospital with her parents today so we didn't get to go look at anything. Maybe tomorrow.
Took a set of missionaries and cleaned out the storage facility we are keeping. Hardly anything left in it. Only keeping things the missionaries are approved to have and anything the incoming couple might like. Other than that, everything is leaving. Going to Salvation Army, first come first serve, or the dump.
When I got home tonight I did the wash while Bonnie got her hair cut. Then she and I fixed the headboard on our bed. The sisters who lived here before us had it tied together with twine which has stretched. After I got everything off the bed I stood the headboard on its side and figured out how it goes together. It is okay now, but I'm going to get a couple more long bolts to put into where the headboard connects onto the frame. Then we should be as good as new.
Winter weather is still holding off, but it is much colder than the past couple of days. No snow in the forecast until next Monday, and that is 1 - 3 inches. Looks like I'll have to get the car washed again on Saturday!!
Well I'm hopping off. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Autumn at Blackwater Falls, Davis, WV

Bonnie:  Isn't that a pretty picture? It makes me want Fall back!!
I want to tell of a good experience I had with UPS last night. They are challenging to deal with because they tell me different things every time I call. So, I was told to call them last night and ask for the tracking number and how much money was due on a gift sent to a missionary. I was going to call his mother with the information. As I was talking to the gal on the phone, I explained that the package was a gift and if it was worth less than $60.00 Canadian then there should be no fees. She immediately wrote a new invoice up that required no fees on the package!! And she was very nice about it. This is the first pleasant experience I have had with UPS. The package came today!
Then, tonight we had a surprise. Our two APs knocked on the door, with our neighbor Spencer. They wanted a Book of Mormon for Spencer! We had a "barely-used" one that we gave to him. He said he had always wanted to read the Book of Mormon! Somehow the APs ran into him after dinner with the Erickson's. We had talked about him to the Elders before. Part of our problem is just seeing him because our schedules are different. Anyway, we will be having him over for a first discussion on Sunday night. I'm so happy about that! It's amazing to me that the Elders saw him and talked to him.
Well, we are both going to bed early tonight. And tomorrow we'll see what happens. I am hopeful that we can do something fun after a shorter day in the office.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 3, 2016

Bob: Another MLC has come and gone. I'll let Bonnie tell you about most of it. President Clayton asked us to serve the waffles for breakfast this time and not to serve them after the MLC is over. A lot of the missionaries are staying too long to eat and visit. He suggested we only serve them once a quarter after the meetings. So we'll make that change.
Wasn't too busy with extra requests today. There were a couple of phone problems and some reimbursement requests, but not many problems.
I asked Bonnie at 4:00 is she wanted to leave then, but she declined and said we needed to wait till 5. She had her chance! Business began to pick up and we didn't get out till just after 6. Then we had to stop at the post office. There were only 4 people standing at the counter being helped by 2 workers. Oh yeah, there were 8 people in line in front of me too. So that took some time. Then we went to the missionary apartment where the new couple will have to stay for a few days to check it out. It needs sheets and blankets for sure. Then we went to Wendy's to eat and finally to the car wash. Got home just a little past 8:00. So much for leaving early!!!
Been restful sitting and doing the checking account while Neil Diamond's greatest hits are playing on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mhSSA6EqMY
Weather got into the 50s today, but it will only be around 32 for a high the next 2 days.
Well I have to get ready for bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: It was a crazy day. We should have been there at least 10 minutes sooner to begin the waffles. The Elders had to eat first because they had a meeting at 8:00. We served little bites of scrambled eggs, spinach and onion made in muffin cups. They were delicious. Along with that, we had the usual waffles, with all the trimmings (except we forgot the butter), oranges, and hot chocolate or apple juice to drink. Breakfast was a hit. And to say thank you, the sisters sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". Sisters Erickson, Cannon and I could not hold back the tears. Then, we had to get all of the supplies out. This took awhile, but finally, everything was ready. At lunch the sister that was in charge did not show up so the APs ran and got pizza for everyone. So, we had quite good meals today! My 2- minute presentation went alright. The next crazy time was after MLC was over, about 4. There are always lots of requests of various sorts that keep all 6 of us busy. That's what kept Bob until 6:00 tonight.
Tomorrow should be shorter. Part of the day I will be with Bob to look at new apartments for our new couple coming in on Friday. And we have to leave early because I  have a hair cut appointment at 6:30. Now, it's bedtime and I need a good night's rest. May all of us  have a good night's rest!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

February 2, 2016

Bonnie:  Today we got all of the supply orders put together. Tomorrow, we will put it all out in the foyer on the tables, and also put out all the mail, packages, birthday treats, ESL supplies, and the shoe polish that was so lovingly donated to the missionaries. The big change tomorrow is that we are making breakfast for about 45, including the President and the office couples, and all of the Zone Leaders, the APs and the Sister Training Leaders. I will be leaving tomorrow about 7:10 am so we can get it all together to serve breakfast by 7:45. It's mostly set up now, but we want to start making the waffles about 7:30 and keep them warm in the oven. The other big thing is that I will have to speak for about 5 minutes tomorrow to everybody about "teaching people not lessons". Luckily I can share an experience of John Pontius' in his book "Journey to the Veil". How do I get myself into these things? Oh well!
I'm off to bed, Everyone sleep tight tonight!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Typical busy day at the office. Took time to take our pick up and trailer to the dealer because when Bonnie followed me the other night one of the tail lights on the trailer didn't work. Of course today there was nothing wrong with it once I drove about 10 miles to get to the shop. The mechanic couldn't get it to flicker at all. Hope it continues to work.
Went to Institute without Bonnie as she was trying to get to bed early and be well rested for tomorrow morning. Class was good and I was in the parking garage before 9:45. I didn't take time though to wash the car as it was raining.
When we came out of church tonight it was freezing rain. The parking lot is on a slight slope and it was very slick trying to cross the driveway to the car. With all the traffic on the roads though there wasn't an issue driving home.
Heard a good story the other day. One time Mahatma Gandhi was asked by a reporter, "What do you think of western civilization?" He answered, "I think it would be a good idea." --Don't know if it is a true story, but it is a good point.
Everyone have a great day tomorrow. May it be your best yet. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

February 1, 2016

Bob: Work went along without a hitch today except for the apartment for Backus'. Never heard from our realtor so I'm not sure what is going on here. Just can't figure this out so tomorrow we may have to make alternative plans.
Weather for February started off great. I think it is supposed to be above freezing almost all week. Wednesday there are showers predicted, but the temperature may reach into the 50s. Planning on working on rearranging the storage shed that day. Going to get rid of some old things we don't need and then consolidate the new facility with the old one.
FHE activity tonight was a very spirited volleyball game. I chose not to participate because of my lack of ability in that sport. And the ball hurts my arms when I hit it. Spent the evening making some travel plans with the Budgett's. They want to go to Elk Lake this summer. I think we can do that either at the end of July or August.
Hope your day has been great. I have enjoyed today. Having the gospel in our lives is certainly a blessing.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  I spent most of the day getting ready to fill the MLC orders tomorrow. It should go quickly because I have studied the orders and I think I have everything ready. Of course, it's also our meeting with Pres. Clayton, so that will take some time. And it's Elder Erickson's birthday so one of us will be picking up pizzas for that. Depending on how the day works out I may go  home early with someone so I can get to bed early. I'm sure Bob can handle going to Institute by himself! Wednesday we need to be cooking the waffles by 7:30 am. We should probably leave about 7:10 or so. I think Sister Erickson and I will go over together and let the men come a little later. I've determined that it will be an awesome two days.
Today I had an interesting phone conversation with Sister Hatfield, who works in the office at the Montreal, Canada Mission. She and her husband are the only couple working there. I don't know how she does everything! Her husband does some of the finances, and they do apartments together. Someone else has been doing the cars. She called because they will be getting another couple and she wanted to know how we divided the office work. She said some days she is there until 9:00 at night. I think they have a smaller mission than us, but it amazes me that they have been able to do it all.
I  hope everyone has had a wonderful day and an even better day tomorrow!
Love, Mom/Bonnie