May 8, 2018

Mickey welcomed us to 

California Adventure

Dad, Chelsey and Reese

Leaving the Park

Keri, Marita and Col Nuzzo, Diane

NMCRS Volunteer Appreciation

Campfire at Del Mar

Kaden and Tige at 

United States Marine Corp Mechanized Museum

Kaden, Tige, Eric and Gwen

Del Mar Beach, Camp Pendleton

Montage

Drew's birthday gift.

Hazel's Baptism Day

May 8, 2018

It is our one-year anniversary!  We've had such an amazing experience serving in the California, Irvine Mission.  So thankful for this opportunity.

We felt a little out of wack on Monday.  We changed up our schedule so we could celebrate our P-day on Tuesday this week.  So, we worked at the FAM Thrift Store on Monday afternoon and then we had our missionary correlation meeting at Bob Jackson's beautiful home that overlooks the ocean.

The most amazing part of the week was driving to Anaheim Tuesday morning and hugging Chelsey, Eric, Reese, Kaden, Tige and Gwen.  What a treat!!!  It was so wonderful to be able to spend the day with them at California Adventure.  The weather was a bit dreary and cold but that didn't dampen our fun.  In fact, we're told it may have kept the lines a little shorter.  We had a blast on the Soaring California, Cars and Toy Story rides (to name a few).  Chelsey, Reese and I went to a fantastic musical based on Frozen that we all loved.  We ate churros and laughed a lot.  Eric and Kaden were even brave enough to go on the Grizzly River Run and get soaked.  (It was the shortest line because it was freezing!!) Their hotel was close enough for us to walk to Disneyland so on our way home we stopped and bought pizza and sandwiches for dinner and ate in their apartment.  When I got home my body was tired from head to toe but my heart was so happy.  We had a fabulous time with them.

Wednesday, it was back to the NMCRS for our normal shift with me teaching Budget for Babies and Brad doing casework.  It was actually a very busy day and we helped a number of clients with Quick Assist Loans.  After we finished, we drove to Del Mar Beach on Camp Pendleton where the San Onofre Navy Marine Corps Relief Society office gathered for a volunteer appreciation dinner.  What a beautiful location--sandy beaches and blue skies.  Donna had rented a beach cottage and we used that as our home base.  We built a great bon fire and enjoyed dinner and a delightful evening with the friends we work with.  It is interesting Marita is the wife of Col Nuzzo who is the Infantry Battalion Commander at SOI.  Elise is married to Capt. Howard who is the Company Commander for Alpha Company at SOI.  It's nice to have a working relationship with these fine leaders who are directly responsible for the marines we work with.  Volunteering does give us the opportunity to network.

Thursday we took another day off to be with Eric's crew.  This time they drove to San Clemente to see how we were spending our time.  We took them on a tour of Camp Pendleton.  We stopped at the Mechanized Museum and the kids really enjoyed seeing some of the cool equipment there.  We bought some Subway sandwiches and took them to Del Mar Beach for a picnic.  When I turned my back to get Gwen, some seagulls swooped in and carried off a 12 inch sub.  I've never seen anything like that.  What a shock!  Thanks to Kaden and Tige for sharing their subs with their dad.  It was windy and the ocean water was pretty chilly but the kids and Eric enjoyed a little boogie boarding and diving through waves.  After we finished there, we drove up Highway 1 to the Montage and walked along that beach--one of the most beautiful spots in the world.  We ate dinner at Baja Fresh on the way home before we said a tearful goodbye.  We're so lucky to have such an amazing family.  

Thursday was also special because it was Drew's fourth birthday.  We sent him a swimming pool and even though they are in Wisconsin, they went swimming.  (I think Heidi is preparing her boys to participate in the polar plunge next January. ) 

Friday they turned off the water for the day at our apartment to complete some repairs.  When you don't have water, you realize how blessed we are to have clean water in our homes on a daily basis.  On our way to the San Onofre Office, we saw smoke.  There was a large fire near the School of Infantry.  The smoke was pretty bad but they didn't evacuate the area so we were able to complete our shift.  One of the marines I helped that day was from Phoenix and grew up in the area where we lived in 1982.  I'm so thankful for the life we had in the Air Force that gave us the opportunity to live in so many different places.  

Saturday was Hazel's baptism day. Sure wish we could have been there but we were thankful the Smith Family was able to celebrate the special day with her.  We love Hazel!  Grandpa was able to do a Candy Drop on Saturday in Spanish Fork as the kick off for the Aviation Center that is being built there in his name--pretty exciting.  We went for a walk in the evening.  It was the hottest day of the year.  Amazing that on Tuesday I was wearing a coat at Disneyland and Saturday we were broiling.

We had a wonderful sabbath.  We had a terrific testimony meeting where most of the marines participated.  One young marine (Tubbs) told how he is 18 year old and this is the first time he has ever really been away from his family.  He had to complete a hike this week and he was exhausted.  He remembered the story of having the faith of a mustard seed and being able to move a mountain so he decided to try his faith.  He thought he at least had that much faith.  He was able to complete the hike and finished at the front of the group.  He was thankful for the help he received along the way.  Bradley spoke about the importance of being good examples.  Craun shared his testimony of eternal marriage and how thankful he is to be sealed to his wife.  Elder Halvorsen shared some inspiring thoughts about Captain Moroni and the courage to stand for truth and righteousness.  It was an outstanding meeting.  

We were able to talk to Grant and his family between meetings.  We're so thankful for Facebook that allows us to see the smiling faces of the ones we love so much.  Had a great time talking with them.

We had hoped to have a baptism this weekend and we were disappointed when Barker was unable to have the time and liberty to be baptized. We pray that things will work out for him to make this covenant at his new duty station because he graduated today.  We did have a sweet experience with Andrew Cherrington and his family at our Fireside.  With tears in her eyes, Sister Cherrington shared that the previous night they had had a family dinner to celebrate Andrew's upcoming graduation.  During the dinner, Andrew told his family how much going to church had meant to him and how thankful he was for our love and support.  He said he felt we were like his second parents.  It was touching to have someone share tender feelings like that with us.  Andrew gave us a hug at the end of the evening and told us how much he is going to miss us and how grateful he was for our support.  Moments like that are tender mercies and remind us why we have been called to serve at Camp Pendleton.  

Cal Weber was he speaker at our Fireside.  His topic was Jesus Savior Pilot Me.  Cal if a sailor.  He has sailed a boat from Florida through the Panama Canal.  He said when he reached the Canal, he was required to have a pilot guide him through it safely.  He testified that the Savior is the pilot of our lives and only through his aide will we be able to navigate our lives and safely return to our heavenly home.  It was a  powerful talk.